The honoured guest
by Ziltoid
Summary: What if Naruto's childhood had gone differently? What if he was educated properly, and trained? This darker Naruto will grow up as a guest of the Hyuga clan, guided by a famous shinobi, and aware of his position in Konoha. Pairings will develop eventually. NaruHina. No harem, no yaoi. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, other than those added by myself.
1. The incident

**The incident**

* * *

Alone again, he wandered through the darkness. He cursed the tears that were still in his eyes, even though he vowed to not cry due to sadness, or anger, ever again. In his six years, young Naruto got used to the way people mistreated him. Whatever he did, people always seemed to blame him for something. Whatever he did, those eyes filled with hatred and fear kept staring at him. He never got treated like the other kids. He never once got a chance. And why?

Today had been particularly frustrating. Even though Naruto had made a habit out of avoiding people, a few boys twice his age found him and beat him up. Not that there was any reason for it. They just did it because no one would scold them. Or worse, the adults would approve of their behaviour. Who would care what happened to Uzumaki Naruto anyway.

Covered with bruises, dirt, and some blood, he had returned to the orphanage. Only to find the warden shouting at him, because he was so dirty. Before she shut the door before him, she remarked that if Naruto was acting like an animal, he also should live outside like one.

"Vicious old cow," Naruto mumbled.

The previous orphanages did not treat him well either, but it usually came down to being ignored. The warden of this orphanage really seemed to hate him. She enjoyed tormenting him as if he had done something to her. But then, she was the only one to volunteer after the last orphanage had thrown him out. Only because he had lashed back at one of the bullies that lived in that place..

Finally succeeding in fighting back the tears, the boy sighed. '_Why do they always have to pick on me_?' He thought. He felt his anger, but ignored the strange sensation that always seemed to follow with it. "Perhaps I should just kick them all out when I am hokage," he mumbled darkly. "Jiisan said people respect a hokage, so when I am they will stop picking on me."

Lost in thought, Naruto failed to spot the man that was rushing through the dark alley. Nor did the man spot Naruto, as he was preoccupied with the people who were chasing him. The very moment the man smiled at the thought that had shaken of his pursuers, he crashed into the boy, losing the bag he was carrying due to the fall.

"What the.." As he tried to get up he looked at the little boy who was now glancing at him. "Dammit, get lost you darn mongrel!"

His body hurt, especially his ribs where he was kicked earlier that day. But Naruto did not feel it. Another person shouted at him. Hurt him. When did it ever end?

The anger he felt before was nothing compared to the rage that now pushed away thought he had. Somewhere in the back of his head Naruto wondered why his whiskers itched so much, or why he senses changed, until even those thoughts were drowned in his blood red rage.

The man felt the boy's chakra spike. _'Impossible for a kid.. Unless,'_ the man quickly thought. But Naruto was no match for the fully trained jonin. The man just knocked him out, before more of his chakra would leak out.

* * *

Hiashi Hyuga ran towards the place where the kidnapper was last sighted. No one would take away his daughter and heir and get away with it. As he got near, he activated his byakugan, and spotted two members of the police force waiting for him, and several others spread out in the area.

"Where is she," he angrily asked the most senior of the two.

"Hyuga-dono, we are sorry but the person slipped away after he.." the man began to apologize, before being cut off by a nearby blast.

Hiashi ran off before the incompetent agent could finish his sentence. "Idots," he growled by himself. If only the kidnapper had not used a bomb to attack the manor, more of his clan members could have tracked the kidnapper down. If only had had been home.

'_Now is not the time for guilt,'_ Hiashi thought as he arrived at the scene.

In the narrow alley, the blast had ripped right through two of the nearby buildings. But there was no one to be seen. Not a trace, even with his byakugan, could be found. "A distraction," the Hyuga growled.

* * *

Naruto's head hurt. It took him a few seconds before his eyes got used to the darkness. Some old room, of what looked like a derelict building. Next to him was a girl of his own age, tied up and gagged so tightly that she could not make a single sound.

Yet she had eyes which Naruto had never seen before. Even though tears fell down from their corners, Naruto thought that the white eyes were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

Still numb from the kidnapper's hit, Naruto tried to move. To his surprise, he was not even bound. The kidnapper had never suspected that Naruto could recover that quickly.

* * *

The kidnapper stood at the doorway, thinking how he could escape. Catching the heir of the Hyuga clan had been his primary objective, but he smiled at the thought of how his village would reward him when he returned with a jinchuriki as well…

'_Raikage-sama should promote me for this, at the very least.. But first I need to get out of this place. Security is better than I had expected. This closed off temple was a stroke of luck, but I need to figure out how to get across the walls without being noticed first..'_

The kidnapper was a shinobi from Kumogakure. Acting as a diplomat, attending the signing of the peace treaty between Kumo and Konoha, the jonin had grabbed his chance at night to execute his real mission.

His masters from the hidden cloud had preferred capturing the byakugan over an unstable treaty. Though the girl he had captured was far too young to give birth, she had been of the strongest bloodline within her clan. The Kumo jonin knew that a decade of patience was worth the price of obtaining one of the strongest doujutsu that existed.

And with the loss of their jinchuriki, Konoha's position would be damaged too much for them to completely focus on a war with Kumo. It would be more likely that the other nations would tear apart the country of fire, in its weakened condition. '_Even that peace-loving old fool of a hokage would be able to prevent their downfall,'_ the jonin smirked.

But first he needed to get out. After knocking out the jinchuriki, the jonin had rushed towards the wall that surrounded Konoha, but security was too tight for him to escape while carrying both of his captives. Then he saw the old, sealed off, temple.

Oddly, the jonin had not noticed the temple the day before, when he had been scouting for possible escape routes. But across the bridge that spanned over the small lake, there had been the decayed building where he had found shelter. The ruin seemed to be an old temple, and it was conveniently located to the side of the mountain that backed Konoha. The temple was located at a small plateau that had been cut out at the foot of the mountain. From here, it was not even that far towards his left that the jonin could see the gigantic face of the former first hokage.

* * *

'_Now what..'_ Naruto thought, pondering on what he could do best now. He noticed that his kidnapper was looking the other side, so getting away on his own wouldn't be that hard. But that girl.. '_Should I abandon her? I don't even know who this guy is, or why he took this girl away.. Clearly, he is on the run, so he is no ally of Konoha. Should I be risking my life?'_

Naruto looked at the pure, white eyes. She was strange, Naruto noticed. Most children around him seemed to hate him, he coud.. He could _feel_ their hatred towards them. '_But this girl.. She feels so.. Innocent? How could I abandon someone like her? That would make me bad..'_

Looking at him, with her wide eyes open, it was as if she saw his dilemma. A single tear was her answer, and Naruto made his decision. Careful not to make a single soud that could notify their distracted kidnapper, he dragged the girl away to another room. Naruto found himself lucky that she was gagged, or she would have drawn the kidnapper's attention. Not that he could really blame the girl for being panicked. After all, she would probably be some spoiled brat, because she would have to belong to some rich clan, if someone wanted to kidnap her like this.

After he had dragged her to the other room, he started looking for a way to barricade the room. Or to escape. Naruto did not know what kind of knots the kidnapper had used, but he could not untie the girl. And the debree in this room was useless.

"Keep silent," he whispered in the girl's ears. "I'll look around."

The white-eyed girl paled, and nodded. Though, Naruto could see she did not like it that he left her there. But he couldn't drag her around either..

Naruto was lucky that the wind caused the old wooden building to make enough sounds to mask his own slipups. Though he had practiced his silent movement for most of his short life, as he always tried to not draw anyone's attention, Naruto could not avoid a few accidental creaking sounds.

Sadly, the building was rather small, with a few small rooms and one large room in the back. That larger room was strange…

"Masks?" Naruto mumbled under his breath. '_Those masks feel.. Odd.. Why do they..'_

Naruto focused on one particular mask that drew his attention. All the masks were like the faces of demons, and most looked either angry, evil, or as if they were in pain. This one mask depicted a horned demon who smiled. Not an innocent smile, but rather a mischievous smile.

Though he did not know why, Naruto grabbed the mask from its standard on the wall. The mask was not made out of metal or wood. '_Bone?'_ Naruto thought. '_What is this place… Writing?'_ Naruto saw some strange drawing on the inside of the mask. It almost resembled some kind of seal, like the ones he had seen in the old man's office.

* * *

The jonin had seen enough. Though the wooden construction looked unstable, there was a pathway to the top of the mountain. It was worth the gamble, the Konoha shinobi would be searching in a different direction, so the chances of getting away would be highest if he fled across the mountain. Going back through the village would probably be suicide.

"I should strap that girl to my back, she is my primary mission.." the man mumbled to himself. He had an impressive enough physique to carry two children, without being slowed down too much.

The jinchuriki brat could just be carried along in the bag he had used for the girl earlier. If he somehow got into trouble, he could always drop the brat from the mountain. He had heard that, upon death, the creatures sealed inside them would break free. And a rampaging demon would form the perfect distraction in case of trouble..

"What the.." the jonin cursed after walking back into the ruin. The children were gone. He punched the wall near him. "I should have tied that accursed kid when I had the chance!"

* * *

With the mask of the mischievous demon in his hands, Naruto sneaked back. Then he heard the shouting jonin. "Damn, he found out," the child muttered softly. "Now what…" Naruto had not found a single thing that he could use to untie the girl, so he wanted to return to her and try to look if he could find some other way out of their predicament… But it was already too late. Though, perhaps.. If the man started to search in the building, Naruto could grab the girl and get out through the now unguarded front door?

Naruto remained careful not to be spotted by the man, and hurried to the room where he had left the girl who had shared his fate. But, again, Naruto was too late. The man had already found the girl, and looked quite stressed.

"Of course.. That brat would leave her behind while he looked for a way out," Naruto heard the man talk to himself. "Stupid," the man cursed. "And now he probably slipped away.. Damned monster."

'_Now what..'_ Naruto thought. '_I could hide and let them go…'_ Naruto shook his head. He knew the man was bad news, Naruto never knew why he could do it, but he always felt if people wanted to mistreat him. That was how he managed to escape the worst people.

But this man felt worse than usual. Naruto could not abandon that girl. The sight of those white eyes looking at him, filled with fear, but also with a glimmer of hope, haunted him. Naruto looked down to the mask. '_Perhaps I can scare him? __And follow up with a hit..'_

Naruto looked around, and between the debris he found a chunk of wood he could use as a weapon. Nervously, Naruto waited till the adult was turned away from him. For some reason, the man was busy with some ropes. Not that Naruto cared what the man did.

"Don't be foolish, brat," the jonin said, hearing the kid enter the room. Naruto froze as the jonin stood up and turned towards him. "What the.." The jonin had heard the kid. He was sure of it. But he saw nothing. "What kind of joke is this.. Dammit, I hate these freaks!"

Not that Naruto understood, but the man seemed unable to see him. Without further hesitation, Naruto jumped forward, swinging his improvised club into the man's stomach.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen realized his age began to slow him down. In the middle of the night, an anbu shinobi had just informed him about the situation at the Hyuga compound, as well as the chase that was currently going on.

"Hokage-sama," a boar-masked anbu bowed as Hiruzen reached Konoha's outer wall.

"Report," Hiruzen ordered.

"No signs of anyone having passed the walls," the anbu said quickly. "Someone has breached the Hyuga estate during the night, and kidnapped the heir of the clan. Hyuga Hiashi has given chase, but most of the Hyuga are occupied with the danger done because of the explosion."

"Do we know who is behind it?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

Another anbu jumped down. The grey-haired shinobi panted as if he had run at full speed. "Hokage-sama… The seal on the Uzumaki shrine was reported to be breached."

Hiruzen blinked for a moment. "That is not too far away from the place where the kidnapper was last seen. You people continue the search, I will go to the temple myself," he ordered.

* * *

The jonin was furious. He heard someone move around, but could not see a soul. And still someone stabbed him. Invisibility? He had lost patience. "Raiton; wave of lightning."

* * *

Naruto did not understand what the man had done, but some kind of shockwave suddenly hit him. Every hair on his body stood out, and his mouth suddenly was as dry as if he had not had anything to drink in days. The demonic mask broke into several pieces when Naruto fell backwards, with his limbs moving uncontrollably. But there was no pain. Only a burning sensation, as if something in his stomach had caught fire, and the fire spread through his body.

Grabbing two pieces of the mask, Naruto tried to get up again, but his body failed him. The last things Naruto saw before losing consciousness were the kidnapper move towards him, and that same man falling to the ground after something else burst into the room. And then all vanished in the darkness.

* * *

**Author Notes; **This is the very first story I've ever published like this. Any honest and constructive critism is (very) welcome, as I would gladly improve myself! But don't be too harsh on me, please..

Notes on the story: the kidnap happened a few years earlier in the manga, I know that. But for the sake of the story, I took the liberty to move it a few years. It wouldn't make much sense to have a three year old Naruto being able to stall the kidnapper, would it? Also, the events have several effects on the Hyuga clan, which will unfold as the story progresses.

As for Naruto himself: in terms of plot I plan to stick relatively close to the original storyline, but I changed the character Naruto. I think it made little sense that someone who had such a childhood, and such a demon sealed inside him, remaining naively cheerful.. No, I think that the dark Naruto which we've seen in the manga made more sense. On the other hand, it would be ridiculous to make the boy like that at his age, so I take a more gradual and subtle approach. I mean, dark Naruto was there (partially) because of the influence the Kyuubi had, and it's influence was not that strong when Naruto was just a kid. One of the keys to the different Naruto is his ability to sense malice/evil. In the manga, he could only do this after cooperating with the Kyuubi, but hell.. It's fanfic: so I take some liberties!

-Z-


	2. The honoured guest

**The honoured guest**

* * *

Hiashi rushed to the hokage's office after a silver haired anbu had informed him.

"Hokage-sama."

"Hiashi," Hiruzen nodded. "Both children are at the hospital to be checked for injury, but I think they will both be fine."

"Both?" Hiashi frowned. "What do you mean both? Where is Hinata?"

"Apparently, the ambassador from Kumo was more interested in capturing a jinchuriki and you daughter, than he was in peace," Hiruzen sighed. "Fortunately, he triggered a seal upon hiding in a building. I was lucky to find the three there, just in time, or so it seemed."

"How is my daughter?"

"Hinata is fine, and from what I could see, it was because Naruto managed to slow the kidnapper down. Else, the man would have gotten away before I had arrived."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Hiashi asked. "Ah, of course, that child.."

"Hiashi," Hiruzen bowed forward over his desk. "I must ask you not to take any measures after this incident. We have yet to ascertain whether or not the ambassador was acting on his own, or if he was executing a mission on behalf of Kumogakure.. I would prefer avoiding war, and the sacrifice of countless lives, over letting this incident escalate."

"The Hyuga have no interest in war either, but we will defend when we are attacked," Hiashi said. "But if you will excuse me, I will visit my daughter first."

* * *

"Father!"

"Hinata," Hiashi smiled. Though it was technically not proper behaviour, he could understand the child's tears. She did go through quite an ordeal. "Are you alright, Hinata?"

The girl nodded, and quickly tried to wipe away her tears, knowing her father disapproved of such lack of composure. Not that she had much success, as new tears appeared just as fast. "Hokage-sama saved us. But.. But.."

"Naruto is fine," a female voice spoke from behind Hiashi. Not that he was very surprised, as his wife at times seemed to be aware of everything.

"Hitomi.."

"Hiashi," the woman smiled. "Hinata is uninjured, despite the kidnapper's crude methods."

"Mother can I.." Hinata looked up to her mother. "C-Can I see him? Is he awake?"

"He is still asleep," she said gently. Hinata's face turned to the ground, her disappointment obvious to her parents. "But the clan owes Naruto-kun, if he had not stalled, the kidnapper would have been on his way back to Kumogakure before Hiruzen-sama would have stopped him." Hitomi added.

"Can we help him?" Hinata begged.

Hiashi looked at his wife, who corrected a deviant strand of her daughter's dark blue hair.

"We will. And should," Hitomi assure her daughter, looking up at her husband's frown. "From what Hinata just told me, Naruto-kun could have chosen to stay out of it. He could have run for his own life and abandon our daughter, but he did not. His wounds are not severe, but his tenketsu are strained. We could offer him a place where he could recover in peace, while we find a proper way to repay him for his role in today's events."

"Naruto can stay with us?" Hinata said hopefully.

Hiashi nodded. "That would be… Proper. For now. I will convey this to the doctor, and ask Hokage-sama for formal approval."

He emphasized on the last word, making clear to his wife that the case of Uzumaki Naruto was a special one. Not that he needed to tell her. Hitomi often paid more attention to affairs outside of the clan that he did.

"Excellent. I will arrange that my cousin, Haruki, looks after Naruto. If I recall correctly, the cottage next to his recently became vacant, I suppose it would be a suitable place for Naruto to remain. I can imagine that some distance from main building would be better for him. And preferred by many within our clan. Besides, if we would accommodate him inside the estate itself, it would create the wrong impression that we took him in."

She smiled at her daughter. "Shall we visit Naruto together, after he wakes up?" Any thought of refusing his wife's plans vanished when Hiashi saw his daughter's smile. Even though she showed to much emotional weakness, she was still his daughter, and he loved her with his entire heart.

* * *

"Hokage-sama"

"Hiashi..." The Hokage answered with a tired voice.

"Any news on the kidnapper? Did Kumogakure respond?"

The hokage sighed. "Interrogation revealed that the ambassador was sent here with a mission to kidnap a suitable female Hyuga, so that Kumo could gain.. Access… To the byakugan."

Hiruzen saw Hiashi's eyes narrow, as he considered the implication of what was said. No father would like to hear his daughter was targeted for the children she could bear.

"Fortunately, thing did not turn out that way," Hiruzen added with his weary voice. "Now that the peace treaty is formalized, and we have quickly spread that news across the bordersl, Kumo knows that their position is unfavourable. They cannot make any demands without revealing that they breached the treaty themselves first. Besides, we know that Kumo ordered their ambassador to execute this kidnap, and have proof of this. Kumo will not be able to try something like this again, without damaging the diplomatic position it has with other nations as well. I believe Kumogakure would choose an uneasy peace over an international scandal which might lead to a war between them and a coalition of hidden villages."

Hiashi nodded. Though alliances and treaties were not respected as much as many would like, there was a consensus between the nations that those who broke a treaty within the same year should be considered honourless and could therefore be attacked by any nation without consequences to international relations. Even though the military prowess of Kumagakure was great, perhaps even being the strongest nation in the world, it would not withstand a combined attack from the other nations.

"Hokage-dono, the Hyuga will not officially blame Kumo, neither for the attempt to kidnap my daughter, nor the damage they have caused at our estate. We were fortunate that there were no grave injuries." Hiashi took a short breath before he made his request, knowing the sensitivity of the subject for Sarutobi. "Hokage-dono, though I will not blame anyone, I would like to acknowledge the debt our clan owes".

"Your debt?" Sarutobi answered wonderingly.

"Yes, we took in Uzumaki Naruto, and provide the medical care he needs to recover. His tenketsu are damaged due to the attacks he sustained."

Sarubtobi stood up, and made sure the door was closed and no one could listen in, before continuing. "I assume you know full well what caused the damage to his teketsu."

"I suspect that a child of his age is not capable of generating enough chakra. Still he survived an attack from a jonin-level shinobi. I know about the seal, and the thing that resides inside, I suspect that 'it' is the cause that Naruto survived."

"I believe the Kyuubi forced some of its chakra into Naruto's chakra system," Hiruzen admitted. He looked at the face of the Hyuga, on which the discomfort was obvious. "You should know that Minato made the seal, and that it is easily strong enough to contain the Kyuubi for another ten years. There is no danger from Naruto."

Hiashi inhaled as he considered the implication of what was said. "Only ten years?"

"Perhaps longer, perhaps shorter," Sarutobi admitted with a sad voice, "seeing how most people in Konoha treat the boy despite the laws I put in place. Not that they openly act against him, they fear me too much to do such things, but still.. I suspect that the anger and hate which Naruto feels make it easier for the Kyuubi to force some of his own chakra to the boy. If that process continues long enough, it could affect Naruto's mental stability and that might give the Kyuubi a chance to break the seal."

The Hokage started pacing through his own office, his sadness now somewhat replaced by an undercurrent of anger. "The kidnapper stated that he accidentally ran into Naruto… I contacted the orphanage where Naruto lives and they claimed Naruto did not return on the night of the incident."

"Claimed? So you doubt their intentions?"

"Unless I fully investigate the situation, I cannot be sure. I don't want to draw to much attention to him, his position as a jinchuriki already draws enough attention. I had Naruto transferred a few times because I suspected that the orphanage did not treat him well.. But my clan cannot take him in. If I show too much concern for the boy, I risk that _my_ enemies will turn to him.."

"When we treated Naruto, he was already covered with bruises and had two of his ribs cracked. The hospital did not seem to care, but our doctor suspected that those injuries were older. Months, or perhaps days.. The rate at which he seems to recover make it hard to be sure."

"I think I will ask Ibiki to pay the orphanage a visit.." Hiruzen said darkly.

"But that is not what I wanted to ask, hokage-sama" Hiashi interrupted. "The Hyuga owe Uzumaki Naruto, and I would request to give him shelter. At the very least, owe him that for saving the heir of my clan, my daughter."

Hiruzen's eyes went wide with surprise at the request, and dropped back into his chair. For a few moments he stayed silent, overthinking the possibilities. "I admit I had not expected such an offer," he softly said, "I think your clan could at least see the difference between Naruto and his.. Burden."

"My wife was adamant in this case," Hiashi admitted. "She knew the previous Uzumaki who lived in Konoha very well." Hiashi looked thoughtfully and remarked "considering his hair, his looks, his name, and the fact that Kushina pregnant at the time.."

"Naruto's lineage is an S-class secret," Hiruzen warned. "But I expect that those who knew Kushina well, also know the reasons for keeping it a secret." Hiruzen paused for few seconds. "Naruto has been the victim of several 'accidents' before, I don't want to attract any more attention to him. Especially from abroad. And I highly doubt the people from Konoha will treat him very different if they knew the truth. I am afraid that many only see the monster, and not the boy."

"Do you intend to tell Naruto?"

"Do you expect him to understand? No, I will tell him when he is ready. I would prefer not to burden him with the issues of his lineage and his prisoner. You will notice he hardly trust anyone, always expecting the worst of others. I tried to talk to him at times, just like Jiraiya how 'accidentally' met him a few times. But even to us, he hardly shows any trust."

"I cannot blame him," Hiashi sighed. "I accept, Naruto will be taught and prepared for when he will enter the academy. He will remain on the estate as our honoured guest and get a small cottage near the main building."

"I will compensate for the cost of this, but if the Hyuga clan allows Uzumaki Naruto to live on their estate, would you also be willing to provide him the education he needs? I would like him to become a shinobi. It would be best for him, both as a person, and as a jinchuriki. Not to mention that it was the dying wish of his parents.." Hiruzen looked up, straight into Hiashi's eyes. "Thank you, Hiashi," he said, when the Hyuga nodded.

* * *

For some strange reason Naruto found himself lying in a bed. All kind of strange stuff stood around the bed, just like when he was at the hospital last year. '_Odd,'_ Naruto thought, '_how the hell did I get here? And this isn't the hospital.. Is this prison? The warden said they would put me in that place if I didn't behave._'

Naruto grabbed the white clothes which were lying next to the bed on a dresser. They were not his own, but he did not see his own clothes so this just had to do. He would rather steal, then get stuck in prison because he..

'_Wait, how did I get here? I was in that old place, that big guy did something, and then I wake up here?_'

Before Naruto got the chance to figure out what had happened, the door opened and a tall man with white eyes appeared. He appeared to be in his thirties, but it was a bit difficult to estimate, due to the exhausted look on the man's face.

"Good morning, Naruto," the man said. Oddly formal and polite, unlike everyone else Naruto had met before. Well, Jiisan and that strange toad man were nice to him. But they were old and strange, so Naruto suspected they just were different from normal adults. And this man had regular brown hair, not white or silver. So he could not be that _old_. But he didn't feel 'wrong' either..

"Ah.. H-Hello?"

"I see you already got out of bed, how do you feel this morning?"

"Feel? Umm.. Good I think.. Wait, what? What is this place? Where am I? Who are you?"

The man chuckled, seeing the child's confusion. "My name is Hyuga Haruki, and you are at the Hyuga estate. When we found you, you were wounded. You were recently attacked, and we also found that some of your ribs were broken and that you had quite the number of bruises. I am here because I was asked to check up on your condition. Did that answer all your questions?" he tall man answered with a small smile.

"What's a Hyuga?" Naruto asked, while he remained on guard, as if he expected the older man to lash out to him at any moment.

"Hiashi-sama will explain that to you when I am ready." The man gently pulled Naruto to the bed, so that he could sit down. "Please remain still for a moment," he said, then he just looked at Naruto with his white eyes. And somehow the veins around his eyes bulged out, freaking out Naruto. Though Naruto wanted to get away as quickly as possible, those freaky eyes urged him to remain immovable.

* * *

Still confused by all the eyes, and whatever happened to him, Naruto was walking alongside Haruki. Naruto had never been in such a clean and luxurious building. Haruki said something about a speaking hashi, which he knew to be a fancy word for chopsticks. His preference for ramen had taught him some good things as well. He had heard the stories at the orphanages, even though they were not meant for his ears, about the talking chopstick. Though he thought it would be a bit silly, Naruto guessed that rich people like this could also own magical stuff, so speaking hashi would not be a big deal to them. Haruki turned left, and opened a door to a larger hall.

"Greetings, Naruto," another white eyed man said.

"Umm, hello?" Naruto asked, still utterly confused. This was a man, and not a chopstick. It actually disappointed Naruto a bit. The confusion did not escape the white eyed man's attention, as he was expecting it.

"My name is Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan. I was wondering if you wanted to eat something with me." Naruto nodded, though his stomach agreed even more, resulting in a blush and a hasty apology. Naruto's curious eyes were cast down immediately, as if expecting Hiashi would try to hit him. Hiashi swallowed his annoyance, '_is this how people raised that child?_'

Haruki left the room and quickly returned with a platter with some food. Then excused, and left the room.

Though initially disappointed that there were no talking chopsticks, Naruto soon forgot about that when he saw all the food. Only once in his life he had eaten such nice food, and that was when the old toad man had taken him to something the man had called a restaurant. But these were places that were usually forbidden for him to enter, just like most of the shops in Konoha.

"This must be the best orphanage ever!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well, this is no orphanage, Naruto-kun," a woman said. The woman, with long dark-blue hair, walked into the room and took the seat next to Hiashi. "Greetings, my name is Hitomi" the woman introduced herself, "and I thank you for saving our daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Yes, four days ago, you aided in the rescue of our daughter," Hiashi answered.

"Four days?" Naruto pondered, and then shrugged as he continued eating. After two bites, however, he realized what was said. "I stopped that evil man?!"

"Evil?" Hitomi asked somewhat confused.

Naruto tilted his head somewhat, as if he was considering telling them the truth or not. "Yeah, he felt evil," he decided. "I do not know how to call it otherwise, it's not sight or smell, but I definitely felt that he was wrong.."

'_If he can sense malice, the Kyuubi's influence might stronger than I anticipated,'_ Hiashi thought, having spent a few days on reading records of jinchuriki and their abilities, before stating "You saved our daughter, who is the heir of our clan. As such, we would gladly thank you, and offer you to stay at our estate."

Naruto looked like his brain just exploded, "I don't need to go back to the orphanage? Is this a joke?" he asked, prepared to have his hopes betrayed.

"No, Naruto, it isn't," Hitomi smiled. "If you so wish, you can live at the small cottage next to that of Haruki."

"If I wish…," Naruto frowned, as if his mind could not process their words. "Seriously? Eh, ah.. I.. I mean, thank you," he quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

* * *

And so Naruto moved into a small cottage near the main building of the Hyuga estate. Even after a few days, Naruto still could not comprehend why they let him stay there, but even Jiisan seemed to be happy about it when he visited. The Hokage's visit also made it clear to Naruto that this wasn't a dream or hallucination. Though, Naruto still doubted if it wasn't all a big joke. Not that the white eyed people seemed to like jokes. They all seemed oddly serious, quiet and reserved.

Well, Haruki seemed to be a little different. At least he smiled, from time to time. Though it was scary how much the older man knew. Not as scary as when he changed his eyes though. Pretty soon, Naruto spend nearly every day with Hiruki, as the latter took charge over his education.

The two other exceptions to the 'regular Hyuga' were lady Hitomi and her daughter, Hinata. Naruto could not understand the latter. The girl was of his age, but did not chase him away like most of the children he knew. Instead, she blushed every time he saw her, and seemed to be unable to speak. Though he thought she had said something which resembled "thank you," the first time they had met after Naruto had woken up.

Naruto did not really know how to act around her, her eyes seemed to have something that no other person Naruto had ever met before had. And it was a bit strange for Naruto to meet someone who was 'invisible' to his other sense. It gave Naruto an oddly naked and blind feeling. Not that Naruto know how to properly talk with her, no one of his own age had really done that. Even at the orphanages, both because he was often kept away from others and because he was often moved.

Still, there were many more things which Naruto could not comprehend. For one, why there was such a difference in how the white-eyed Hyuga behaved. One group was humble and reasonably friendly, even though distant. The other group, however, barely took the effort to notice him. As if he was to low for them to even want to see.

"Haruki-san, why do so many Hyuga cover their heads?" Naruto asked in one of his lessons.

"Hmm.. There is a difference between the main house, and the branch house, Naruto. The main house is the family of the head of our clan, while the families of the Branch house serve that family."

"So are you of the branch family, Haruki-san?" Naruto asked upon looking at the man's head protector.

"Yes, that it why I am assigned to take care of you, as you are the honoured guest of the main family. And as I recently retired as a shinobi, this is my new task. It's certainly more interesting than gardening," Haruki smiled.

"You were a shinobi?" Naruto asked with his eyes wide open in surprise. "Could you please tell me about that?"

* * *

And so, Naruto spend three years with the Hyuga. Haruki taught him etiquette, cooking, gardening, and all the things he needed to know to live a normal life. While Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, from time to time helped Haruki with Naruto's combat training. For some reason, Haruki was not capable of exerting his body, even though he could teach the theory and stances.

And though Naruto was a guest, he happily helped carrying out tasks in his 'spare time'. At the very least, Naruto was not bored. It probably saved Konoha from quite some pranks which he might have pulled if he had been bored..

Not that Naruto was always well behaved. But pulling pranks on people who seemed to see everything was a bit difficult. Well, the other children he could trick, but Naruto still preferred to stay away from those of his own age, not having forgotten the orphanages. Though, to his amusement, Hinata always seemed to be embarrassed when she didn't notice him on time. Haruki always berated him for teasing a main family member though. But Hitomi never seemed to mind.

The elders of the clan did not hold him in such high esteem though. They, and with them many others, avoided him when possible, or ignored him if they had to. Still, these three years were the best of his life. He did not even notice that the weight in his stomach had lifted.

But now a big day came closer, Naruto would have his first day at the academy. Hiashi and Hitomi invited him to a party, as their daughter Hinata would also enter. While Naruto approached the dining room, he frowned at the thought that they would have the same classes. Naruto never really understood the girl. She avoided him just like all those who disliked them, and blushed as if she was mad at him, but she never said anything, and always avoided looking him in the face, especially when he directly looked at her. Perhaps he could determine whether she hated him as much as he feared she did.

Before Naruto reached the doors of the dinner room, though, he smelled something familiar. Well, smelled.. '_What do you call this sense, if even Haruki didn't know what I mean_' Naruto thought. Still, it disturbed him. Usually he only felt such a thing near people who wanted hurt him, so he looked around. '_It does not come from the kitchen, nor the living room. Guest room perhaps?'_ Naruto thought as he walked towards the said room, noticed voices.

"I assure you it'll work, just spread the powder over it," a whispering voice said.

"If you say it will do the trick, than who am I to doubt you," another voice answered sarcastically.

"The cinnamon rolls are powdered anyway, so no one will notice the difference. Well, next morning they'll know" The first voice answered with a soft laugh. "And perhaps you could try to offer one to that fox brat as well.. Who knows if we are lucky enough to take him as well?"

'_Odd,'_ Naruto thought, '_They talk odd and 'feel' odd. That guy almost feels as foul like that one elder with the funny nose..'_ Naruto spurred open his eyes at the realization.

He quickly regained his composure before one of the branch members, tasked with serving dinner by the look of his clothes, left the guest room. "Where is the bathroom?" Naruto asked innocently, but the man just looked coldly, pointed, and moved on. '_Heh, good thing they rely too much on their eyes, and have such bad ears' _Naruto though, smiling a bit as he recounted the times he exploited his much better hearing. '_But now I'll need to go to dinner, and quick. Whatever they put over the powder, with that intent it can't be good. __Probably poison.'_

Again.

* * *

As Naruto closed the doors of the dining room behind him, he had finished his 'plan'. "Welcome, Naruto. You're late" Hiashi's said accusingly.

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head – a gesture Haruki couldn't get out of him, no matter how hard he had tried – and simply stated "My apologies Hiashi-sama, I got distracted on my way here."

Hizashi muttered "Kakashi" while massaging his forehead, which made Naruto notice it wasn't just the head of the clan, but also his wife and children, along with his brother and cousin who attended the private celebration.

"Well, it doesn't matter today, take your seat Naruto," Hitomi said with a gentle face, "appetizers have just been served so you're just in time". Naruto took his seat, next to Neji and opposite to Hanabi.

As the branch member passed him, to put the last plate on the table, the cinnamon rolls which Hitomi and Hinata liked so much. Naruto decided to ask with an innocent voice "May I ask what you put on the cinnamon rolls?"

The branch member only froze for a fraction of a second, but Hiashi noticed, and before he could start his answer Hiashi asked "Why do you ask such a question, Naruto?"

The latter chuckled, as he knew Hiashi noticed. So he just told the truth: "Well, as I walked over, I heard something interesting had to be put on the cinnamon rolls. And since it wouldn't be noticed due to the powder which was already on them, I merely got curious as to what would be different."

The branch member paled, and backed away, but Hizashi already stood behind him. "What is the meaning of this, Katashi?"

"No- nothing Hizashi-sama, I- I-."

"Quit your stuttering, and answer my question. What did you put on those rolls?"

"No-Nothing.. Only what I had to," Katashi said, before he tried to get away.

It was a futile effort though. With the two best juken-practitioners of their clan next to him Katashi merely took two steps before he was paralyzed. Sadly, that was also the last thing Katashi ever did, as he suddenly twitched and suffered as somehow his seal was invoked.

While Hitomi ensured her daughters and Neji left the room, Hiashi gestured Naruto should stay put. Then, Hiashi's anger was pointed at Hizashi.

"Find out who is responsible. Now," he growled.

"Yes brother," Hizashi bowed and left.

After a branch member confirmed the 'extra powder' to be poison, as already expected, Hiashi turned to Naruto, who had remained in the room after the hand gesture from Hiashi earlier. "Thank you again, Naruto. You probably saved the lives of both my wife and my daughter."

"If I hadn't been a tad late, I would've missed it. It was merely coincidence, Hiashi-sama."

"Coincidence or not, this is the second time we are in your debt. If there is anything the Hyuga clan can do for you, please ask."

Naruto closed his eyes while thinking if there was something. Then he just shrugged, and said "there isn't anything I would want, though I am curious of one thing. Why do some people refer to me as 'fox'? Many people talk about it when they think I cannot hear them.. And they seem to mention me with that word."

The seemingly simple question caught Hiashi completely off guard. "I am sorry Naruto, but I will have to ask you to wait till tomorrow before I can provide you an answer to that question."

* * *

A/N: Jup, this is where the name of the story comes from, being the 'honoured guest' of the Hyuga. It actually kinda stuck, and with the lack of inspiration, I couldn't come up with a better name.. A well, it makes somewhat sense, I think, because this is the starting point from where the fanfic will deviate from the manga.

I'll also warn for my English: I do what I can to give you a good story, but it isn't flawless. I've gone through it with both the grammar checks, but I'm sure some errors have survived, unfortunately. One of the disadvantages of not being born in an English-speaking country!

-Z-


	3. Academy years

**Academy years**

* * *

Naruto followed Hinata and her caretaker, Ko, to the academy. He had hardly slept due to overthinking what happened the day before. And what was said. Naruto had realized through the years that Hyuga restrained themselves regarding showing their emotions. As the clan leader, Hiashi especially did not easily show any surprise. He usually upheld either a neutral or a dismissive mask.

The fact that he stumbled over Naruto's question was not something to be taken lightly. Even at nine, Naruto knew this was important. He often wondered why people hated him, even if he had done nothing wrong. He sometimes wondered if his parents had been criminals, but never found any answers. He did not know a thing about his family, or about his own origins. He neither knew when he was born, nor where. He carried the clan name Uzumaki, but he could not find much about them. Even in the books from the library at the Hyuga estate, which Haruki provided him, the Uzumaki were only mentioned as being from Uzushiogakure.

The only other hints at his own 'wrongness,' were the occasional mentions of the word 'fox'. But foxes had nothing to do with the Uzumaki. The only fox which Naruto had learned of which was as hated he was, was the demonic creature called the Kyuubi. Naruto could not resist the chill that crept up his spine as he thought about his conclusion.. He had a seal on his stomach, was born in about the same time the demonic fox attacked Konoha, and people called him 'fox'.

Maybe he really was the Kyuubi, but simply did not know.

Perhaps he had lost his memories when the yondaime had beaten him or something. Or maybe it had happened when his power was taken away from him. And then what.. Would his powers recover, and turn into a demon again, one day?

Naruto was distracted enough to fail to notice that Hinata had stopped walking, and bumped into her. Luckily, Naruto's reflexes were fast enough to catch her before she fell. Though this only seemed to embarrass her further. Or anger her. Naruto could never understand her, she acted so differently from all the others he knew.

"My apologies, Hinata-sama" Naruto said. She blushed until even her ears were crimson. '_Great, now she hates me even more.._'

"Ahh. Well, I guess this is it… shall we go in, Hinata-sama?" he quickly continued before Ko would scold him for his indescent behaviour.

"Y-yes."

"Then let's see if classes are as boring as Neji-san said they are," Naruto tried to lighten the mood, before entering the building, leaving the two Hyuga behind.

* * *

"So, how was your first day at the academy, Naruto?" the Hokage asked.

"Well... it was more interesting than I expected. Though, I guess Haruki-san already taught me most of the things I've heard about today."

"I'm glad to hear" Hiruzen said with a smile, before turning more serious. "I understand you asked a question yesterday," Hiruzen nodded to Hiashi.

"Umm.. Yes, Hokage-sama. I.. I overheard people talking about me and they called me a fox. Not that they knew I heard," Naruto added quickly, after seeing Hiruzen's look. "My hearing is just a little better than most, so sometimes I hear things others don't expect me to hear."

"Like the attempted poisoning yesterday? I heard from Hiashi."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. But the talk about the fox bothers me." Naruto frowned, but decided that the quickest way to get it over with, was just to ask, even though his voice faltered.. "Jiisan.. Am I the Kyuubi?"

Hiruzen paled, and from the look on his face, it was clear that Hiashi had not expected this direct question either.

"No! No you are not the Kyuubi. And don't you ever think you are!" Hiruzen replied shocked. He sighed and suddenly seemed to be older than Hiashi ever saw him before. "Naruto, the truth is that you are not the fox, but that you imprison it. That is why the Yondaime placed that seal on you. Despite what many think, even he was unable to kill it, so he had to seal it away."

Naruto nodded. Not that he fully comprehended the situation, but at least he was not a demon himself. This also explained the behaviour of others. "But why me?"

"You were the best candidate for it, the only candidate," Hiruzen said softly, "the village was under attack, by something we could not defeat. The Yondaime had to act quickly to avert the village's total destruction."

"I am sorry, Naruto" Hiruzen continued, with voice filled with sadness and regret. "I am sorry for the sacrifice you had to make. You keep the fox at bay, and all people give you in return is hatred."

"But please try to understand.. At the time, half of the village was in ruin. That day, all of us lost friends, family, parents and children. The people had lost their homes, and lost their leader. All that was left to them was a little baby who now held the monster inside him which was responsible for all that." Hiashi said. "It was wrong, but people had so much sadness, that they took it out on you, the only thing left of the Kyuubi."

"We believed you would not understand. That is why no one told you. I forbade them to tell you," Hiruzen spoke. "There were those who wanted to kill you. I just hoped that by forbidding anyone to speak about your burden, and forbidding them to act against you, I could give you a somewhat happy childhood." A tear fell from his old eyes. "I am sorry that I failed you Naruto."

The boy heard it all, but stood there as if he was frozen. When Hiruzen finished speaking, Naruto stood up and left the office, not willing to show anyone his tears. Tears of anger, sadness, and relief. Relief that he was not the monster he had feared to be.

Though he realized he had yet to understand the magnitude of his problem.

* * *

Hinata was worried. She knew that she always disappointed her father, as she had little courage, and even less talent. Her mother seemed to be the only one who was not worried about her shyness. She did not even possess the courage to speak to the boy who saved her life, not just once, but twice. She was despicable.

Yesterday, Naruto seemed very sad. Hinata thought it was because what happened to Katashi-san, but her mother said that it was not the case. She would not tell her why though. "Why don't you ask him about it, Hinata?" she replied to the girl's questions. But as they walked to the academy, flanked by Ko, she only noticed his pensive look. And instantly lost what little courage she gathered.

During the break, Hinata watched as Naruto sat down on the swing in front of the academy. He looked so lonely and sad. She realized she was pressing her index fingers against each other again. '_How can I be bothered by nerves while Naruto-kun is in trouble,'_ she mentally scolded herself.

"H-he-hello N-Naruto-kun"

Startled, as he had not noticed her getting near, he nearly fell of the swing. Regaining what little composure he had, he replied: "Ah.. H.. Hello, Hinata-sama".

"Are you all right Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Fine," Naruto said sheepishly.

Hinata almost giggled as she saw him scratching the back of his head. Especially because she knew how much time Haruki-san had spent on it. "You don't seem to be very happy about going to the academy."

Naruto frowned a bit.

"Well, most people don't seem to like me much, so I just stick to myself," he tried to smile it away. Hinata saw it bothered him though.

"Erm, d-do you m- mind if it eat l-lunch here?" she asked while blushing furiously.

"Eh?" Naruto with his eyes squinted, "Ah.. Of course I don't mind! But there's no seat. Wouldn't you rather go inside, Hinata-sama?"

"I- I am fine." She waited a moment to gather the courage for her next question. "W-Would you like something to eat, I have too much.. And I noticed you forgot your lunchbox," she squeaked.

Naruto seemed to be completely puzzled, and for a moment Hinata expected that he would just turn her down. Like most others would do. Instead, he said "Ah sure, fine.. Erm thanks Hinata-sama," with a very strange voice, as if he did not believe this was real.

Naruto sat down on the grass beside her, not comfortable on the swing, and ate a little from the food stuffed in her (far too big for a single person) lunchbox. '_Is this why mother gave me this lunchbox?'_ Hinata realized.

Though they ate in silence, as she didn't trust her voice anymore and he was too confused about the sudden change in behaviour. Finally she was a little closer to him. She was painfully aware that Naruto was only a few foot away. '_So close.._'

'_Why would Hinata-sama do this?'_ Naruto pondered, _'I thought she disliked me like everyone else, but now she just offered me food. Maybe she wasn't angry anymore? She didn't seem to like to talk to me, but at least she didn't run away, as usual. A well, whatever it is, it is better than it was before.'_

As he looked up, he realized why she had stopped eating. She had fainted.

* * *

'_The teachers don't seem to like me very much_,' Naruto realized. They weren't too happy when he brought the unconscious Hyuga to them, but after that their glares kept getting colder, and there seemed to be more distance between Naruto and the others then before. "_A well, at least now I know why_," Naruto thought, "_Though the history lesson this morning was a bit annoying._"

The teacher, a guy named Mizuki, had taught them about the four men who had held the position of Hokage. The first, renowned for his strength and his unique skills, the second, the younger brother of the first, who was well known for his creativity and intellect, and lastly the fourth, the hero who had sacrificed himself to save the village. Mizuki also spoke of the third Hokage, who had taken back his position after his successor had died, and to Naruto's surprise Jiisan was known as 'the professor' due to his famed knowledge and wisdom.

Naruto had thought about his view on the old man. He was one of the few people who seemed to trust Naruto, so when he revealed the truth.. '_I guess that if Jiisan is that smart, he probably figured out the best way for me as well. What Mizuki-sensei told about Yondaime's death… I guess his death really created a lot of trouble for Konoha.' _Naruto had always admired the fourth, as everyone said that he had been the hero who had saved the village. '_Ironic, that it was him of all people who had to seal the Kyuubi inside me… Guess I can't blame Jiisan for what others did. Just like others shouldn't blame me for what I didn't do…' _

Naruto crossed the small square in front of the manor. He was on his own today, as Hinata had been dragged away again by a blonde girl, who was followed by a pink haired girl. The latter looked like she hated Naruto. Though it was mostly masked a cold attitude, he could clearly sense it. He couldn't blame her. Just like the kids at the orphanages he lived in, several of his classmates just copied the behaviour their elders had towards Naruto. Even though it was only a few weeks ago that he joined their class, this pattern had already showed up.

Still, Naruto was somewhat disappointed that the pink-haired girl, who others had called Sakura, acted like that, when she was bullied herself. Naruto had felt like he could relate to her struggle of being a bit of an outcast. But that did not seem to stop her from picking on him, whenever she decided that his behaviour was 'annoying'.

Though Hinata had tried to apologize to him, Naruto had just shrugged, wished her luck with the flower arranging class, and walked home. He knew Neji had gone home a few hours before, as he had a different schedule, being one year Naruto's senior.

Naruto had enough to worry about, so a little solitude was actually nice. '_It is still hard to understand all this stuff, I guess that is why Jiisan and Hiashi-sama waited to tell me..'_ he realized. They had talked with him a few times now, regarding his fate as what they explained to be a 'jinchuriki,' as someone who acted as a container of a demon. Opening the door of his cottage, Naruto noticed one of the windows had been left open. '_Odd, that's not like Haruki-san_,' Naruto thought, on his guard.

"It's been a while, Naruto," a familiar voice spoke. "You've gotten quite big, haven't you?"

Naruto hadn't heard that voice for years, but still recognized it immediately "Toad guy? What are you doing in my house?"

The man sighed. "Toad _sage_, Naruto. And the name is Jiraiya." And he added with a sarcastic voice: "Besides, I am as much a toad as you are a fox." Jiraiya chuckled at the confused look Naruto gave him. "The Hokage told me you learned about your… burden. So he asked me to teach you a few things."

"Teach me? But I have to attend.."

"The academy will get a notice from the Hokage himself, and Hiashi already knows about as well, so don't worry. We will be back in soon enough."

"I have already prepared you backpack, Naruto-kun," Haruki added, startling Naruto. "Please be careful with our guest, Jiraiya-sama. Teach him well. And properly," Haruki added with a respectful and formal, though slightly worried tone. Obviously, Haruki had learned about Jiraiya's 'profession'. Erotic novels were not something a nine year old boy should come in contact with.

Jiraiya smiled, "don't worry; I'll take the brat to the forests around Konoha. He will probably need some space for the jutsu I will teach him." Picking up the backpack, and dragging along a stunned Naruto, Jiraiya left the estate, making sure no one would notice them. '_Two weeks should be enough. But between the bunshin and the summoning contract, I will probably need all the time I can get. Sensei and Hiashi may think the kid has talent, but to expect so much from a nine year old…'_

* * *

"Naruto-kun is not at home today, Hinata-sama," Haruki said when he saw Hinata standing in front of the door of his pupil's house.

"A.. W- Where did Na-Naruto-kun go? He did not attend today's classes either," she asked shyly.

"Naruto-kun left Konoha for a few days. It is just training, nothing to worry about," he added after seeing her look. "Naruto-kun had some trouble with the lessons from the academy. He gets some separate lessons to deals with it, so please don't worry about him Hinata-sama".

After she bowed and thanked him, Haruki watched her walk away. '_Poor girl. She is too kind for her own good. If only she hadn't been the heir..'_ Though he could not suppress a smile when he noticed the small bouquet of flowers she left on his pupil's doorstep. _'That would explain her… attempts to talk with Naruto.' _

"Hinata-sama!" he called her back.

"Yes, Haruki-san?"

"If you want to give Naruto-kun those flowers, don't you wish to help me putting them in a nice vase?" Haruki suggested. And though the girl blushed furiously, she agreed and helped him.

* * *

Thanks to Haruki's lessons of the twelve hand seals, Naruto picked up the basics of the skills easily. But the bunshin no jutsu proved to be extremely difficult. After two days, Naruto only produced two copies of himself, which looked sickly and weak, and exploded immediately.

'_The forms are good, he draws onto his chakra correctly, and he certainly doesn't have a shortage of chakra either. What am I missing? If only I had those byakugan,'_ Jiraiya thought. Not for the first time. For someone like him, having the byakugan was a life-long dream._ 'The bunshin no jutsu is basics. I haven't used it much ever since I was a genin myself.. But if I want him to learn the kage bunshin he should at least be capable of this..'_

Suddenly it occurred to him, '_basics, what kind of fool am I?! Normal rules don't apply to Naruto, he never needed to train to grow his chakra reserves.. And I am wasting time on basics! He never needed to grow his reserves, probably the contrary, he has to learn to control his reserves first! I should just skip to the kage bunshin. Though I gotta be careful he doesn't go too crazy with the chakra..'_

Training proved difficult for Naruto's confidence. His chakra control always seemed to lag behind others, a fact which people like Neji enjoyed to emphasize. Whenever Hizashi or Haruki tried to teach him something 'basic' Naruto either performed badly, or far too good. Like how he spectacularly failed when he had to create a soft breeze, but instead blew a section of the garden apart.

The old man's curious look annoyed him a bit, even though the geezer remained patient, Naruto couldn't figure out why he had to learn this separate from the others. He remembered meeting the man a few times, and he even got a frog-shaped plushy once, when he was very young. Or over a year ago, when Naruto had found a frog-shaped wallet, which he had called Gama-chan. Naruto was convinced that he got it from this man. And still, Naruto couldn't figure him out. Why was he doing this? Why would anyway willingly spend time with him?

Suddenly, Jiraiya spoke up. "Naruto, perhaps you should try this," as he showed Naruto a different combination of hand seals. "Though you should only put about half of your chakra in it. I trust the Hyuga taught you how to estimate your own chakra reserves?"

Naruto nodded, did as was asked of him. The first few tries went wrong, but at the fourth..

Jiraiya paled as he suddenly looked at five Naruto's. "Kami.." he exclaimed slowly, '_so many clones at that age.. Even several of the jonin..'_

Contrary to his earlier attempts, these clones were solid. And they all looked confused upon seeing himself so many times.

"So I was right… You have so much chrakra that many of the basic skills become impossible to you." Several of the Narutos frowned, like they didn't know whether it was a compliment or an insult, while Jiraiya pulled several sheets containing the drafts for his next book out of his pockets, and handed those notes to several of the clones. "Read them," he said, "and after you've read them, dissolve one of the bunshin".

Naruto shrugged, and did it. Then he realized he knew what his clone had read. Popping another bunshin, Naruto knew for sure. "I didn't know bunshin could do this."

"It is impossible for the bunshin no jutsu, but it is easy for the people who master the kage bunshin no jutsu"

"Shadow clones?"

"Yes, those are autonomous, unlike the normal bunshin who are merely a distraction. Unlike the elemental bunshin like a mizu bunshin, the kage bunshin only require chakra, and create a complete replica of yourself, also capable of thinking on their own. Though the sheer amount of chakra it takes make the jutsu impossible for most shinobi, except those who have at least jonin-level chakra reserves. But considering who you are.."

Jiraiya paused for a moment. "Well, both who you are, _and_ who you hold inside you. Your reserves are probably near jonin-level already. If you learn to use chakra a bit more effective, a dozen clones will be a piece of cake. As expected, your _guest_ gives you some benefits as well."

* * *

'_Sixteen clones is his limit now,' _he finished counting, a few hours later. '_I can let him sign the toad summoning contract, give him the scrolls, and make his clones practice.. This might work out after all!'_

Jiraiya frowned. He had read the reports, but during his fourteen month absence from Konoha, Naruto had grown faster than he had anticipated. Looked like the guardian the Hyuga had appointed to him had performed miracles. Naruto's chakra control and capacity had grown considerably, but that was not it.

'_The brat has always been troubled. Who can blame him, after the treatment he got,'_ Jaraiya mused. He still recalled his rage when he had heard about the way the last orphanage had mistreated Naruto, though the owner had been lucky enough that Hiruzen had punished her. Else, Jiraiya would have made sure she would have ended up like a petrified toad. Or that she had wished to be petrified instead.

But despite the improved situation, Naruto still kept to himself. Barely trusting adults, and avoiding other children. Naruto had associated social interaction with danger, and it frightened Jiraiya when he thought about the consequences it might have for the future. '_Especially now that idiotic sensei of mine decided to tell him… It was way too early,'_ Jiraiya sighed._ 'Though, I guess that telling the truth would be for the best, now that Naruto had partly guessed why he is hated that much..'_

"So, Naruto, how is the academy?"

Naruto looked up, with a hint of annoyance that he was disturbed while gathering chakra for a next attempt to execute the kage bunshin no jutsu. "I guess I will learn a lot, if Haruki-san is right."

Jiraiya tilted his head a bit. Still the boy mistrusted what others told him. "And your classmates?"

"What about them?"

"Well… anyone friendly? Some nice girls, perhaps?"

"Aside from Hinata-sama, I don't really know anyone else," Naruto shrugged.

"Don't you want to know them? Who knows, you might get friendly with some," Jiraiya tried.

"Friendly with me?" Naruto frowned. "Perhaps, but unlikely. Even though they don't know _what_ I am, everyone still avoids me whenever possible."

"Don't refer to yourself as a 'what,'" Jiraiya corrected him gently. "You are Uzumaki Naruto, and you will become a shinobi of Konoha. No matter what others have done to you, you are not to be blamed for the creature that was sealed inside you."

"People will call you a jinchuriki, as you are someone who acts as the jailor of the demon that was sealed inside you," Jiraiya continued. "But you are also a regular human being. People will need friends, if they want to survive in this world. After your graduation, you will form a genin team with two of your classmates.. Get to know them a little, and show them how people are wrong about you."

Naruto opened his mouth, but shut it again as if he forgot what he wanted to say. After a few minutes of silence he spoke again. "Perhaps I could, if they did not resent me like all the others. Otherwise, I just follow my own path, and become strong enough that I would never need someone else."

"No human can live alone, Naruto," Jiraiya said with a hint of sadness. "What would you fight for, if you had no one you cared about?"

Naruto looked at the old man's face, and for a moment Jiraiya saw only loneliness in the boy's eyes. Not wanting to talk on, Naruto changed the subject. "Why did I need to learn the bunshin no jutsu, before the kage bunshin?"

Jiraiya sighed, knowing that the stubborn brat would refuse to talk about it any longer. "Normally, people need to be able to do the regular bunshin, before the shadow variant. But you possess too much chakra for the regular, while you have little trouble with the advanced form. I guess you still need to train your chakra control, until you are capable of limiting the amount of chakra you put into the simple jutsu's."

"I put too much into it?"

"That's why the normal bunshin failed," Jiraiya agreed. "The kage bunshin requires more chakra, so your overcapacity does not cause it to fail like the simple bunshin. I mean, the regular bunshin is a skill they teach at the academy, while the kage bunshin is usually reserved for the jonin-level shinobi only."

"So that's why you wanted me to keep it a secret?"

"Yes, the less others know about me training you, the less people will be suspicious of you. But for now, we will continue with…"

* * *

Three weeks later, a very tired looking Naruto appeared in class again. Though now he wore a subtle orange belt over the otherwise regular long-sleeved white robes, and black pants, which were custom to the lower ranks within the Hyuga clan.

Hinata was happy he returned, and quickly decided to go talk to him when they had break. At least, if she could get away from Ino, who seemed to have taken the 'duty' to take care of the uncertain Hyuga heir. After all, the others knew each other from the previous year, which Hinata and Naruto had skipped due to the training they received from the Hyuga clan. The doujutsu clans always kept their children from the academy the first year, as they learned the basic skills in a different way. They could learn from _seeing_, after all, something the academy teachers could not comprehend. Though that did not apply for Naruto, he got his lessons on the estate as well.

"Aww man.. Why do those thing transfer memories, but can't get some sleep for ya," Naruto yawned, as he walked outside.

"H..Hello Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered.

"Ah, good morning Hinata-sama," Naruto bowed.

"Please don't.. No honorifics.. We are all just classmates," she blushed.

"I.. Alright, Hinata-sam.. San."

"Are you all right?"

"Eh? O, yeah. I'm fine, just had to skip some classes because I needed some extra training" He grinned. "It seems like my chakra control was a bit of a problem." Picking up a leaf, he held it up and said "Watch," and put the leaf on his head. Activating her byakugan shortly, showed Hinata that he focused some of his chakra into the leaf. As always, she thought he was unique, he was the only person she knew who had _that_ much chakra, or who had two colours of chakra.

"Together again?" a blonde girl mocked. "One might get curious what kind of relationship you two have" she added with a curious voice. "Wait, Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan?" the girl exclaimed after Hinata lost consciousness yet again.

Naruto shrugged, "She'll be fine in a few minutes" he stated, earning him a curious look from the blonde.

"You live at the Hyuga compound, don't you?"

"Yeah, they took me in a few years ago."

"So, you are related to them?"

"Not that I know of" he shrugged. "They offered me a place to live at. It certainly beats any orphanage."

* * *

Despite her inborn curiosity, she could not figure the new boy out. Most of the others seemed to ignore him, following the example set by the teachers. Her father did not want to give her any information, though he did seem somewhat weary because of the subject. Yet, Ino refused to give up. Uzumaki Naruto was not a regular boy. There was something special about him. He preferred spending his time alone, though he seemed to accept the presence of Hinata. But with the exception of her, he remained neutral and distant towards all the other kids in their class. Even after half a year, he was still an outcast. Even the ever-silent Shino belonged more to their group than Naruto did.

"Hey Shikamaru, I know he came from an orphanage, but why do you think _he_ is such a loner?" she asked her classmate one day.

"Who cares," he sighed. "If Naruto prefers to be alone, let him do so. Don't be such a meddler." But as he looked, he knew as sure as his name was Nara Shikamaru, she wouldn't leave it at that. He sighed. "Listen, for some reason most of the adult seem to avoid him. Have you ever seen Mizuki-sensei's eyes when he looks at Naruto? But Naruto seems friendly enough, even though he seems to be careful to keep his distance from others. Obviously, there is some secret that is way too troublesome for us to get involved in, or else their behaviour wouldn't make any sense."

Though he didn't add what his father told him: '_Naruto may be different from other kids, but don't let the behaviour of others affect you. Though a lot of people do not like him living in Konoha, the Hokage trusts him. So shape your own option about your classmate. Trust your own observations, do not believe other and make the same mistakes as they do.'_

Shikamaru frowned at the contradiction, while thinking back. How was he supposed to both ignore other's opinions, and to accept them at the same time? Adults were always so troublesome..

* * *

Similarly curious, but less frank about it, Hinata also tried to learn more about Naruto. But the more she hesitated, the harder it became for her to start talking to him. And he never started talking himself.

She could see that he was hiding, and she also saw his efforts at the Hyuga complex, but she couldn't fathom it. He was not weak, nor stupid, so why was he deliberately holding back? Why did other avoid him, and why did many of the teachers act so differently towards him? Hinata felt like she was a disappointment herself, but people did treat her well at the academy. Not that she was popular, in the contrary. Her position as heir of the famous Hyuga clan seemed to intimidate most others. Well, apart from those who were born in similar high positions within their clans, like Ino , Shikamaru, or Choji.

No, Naruto never seemed to expect anything of anyone. Most would think he was simply not interested in other people, but Hinata suspected that was not the case. He was hiding for some reason. And at days, he even seemed faint when she looked at him while she activated her byakugan. Not that she did that openly, she wouldn't dare.

'_I'm just pathetic.. Always watching, but always from a distance and never at his side..'_

* * *

Unknown to most, Uzumaki Naruto usually did not even attend most of the classes. After he managed to master the kage bunshin no jutsu he just sent clones to the lectures, though he did go to the taijutsu and bukijutsu trainings himself, not wanting to risk his clones getting popped and reveiling his secret. No, right now he thought it was more useful for him to spend time with the scrolls the Toad Sage had given him.

At the orders of the Hokage, and with permission from Hiashi, Jiraiya had given Naruto the scrolls of the Uzumaki clan he had in his possession. Since Naruto was the last known survivor of his clan, he had the right to possess the scrolls. Though Jiraiya had sealed most of the scrolls, just like how he had explained when he gave Naruto the scrolls.

'_You will first require learning the prerequisites from these scrolls, before you can unlock the seals I have placed on the others,' the toad hermit had said to him. 'You will get access to those skills the moment you are ready for them. That is why I sorted them out like that. First you need to learn the basic theory behind fuinjutsu. Once you know that, you can start practicing the low ranked seals. That's the way your clan taught their children, if my sources are right.' The old man had patted Naruto's head when he saw she annoyed look of the boy. 'Listen brat,' he smiled, 'There aren't many people around with such knowledge of fuinjutsu.. Be patient and learn as much as you can, as fast as you can. And keep your knowledge hidden from others for now..'_

Jiraiya had made one exception: Haruki was happy to help. Though Naruto had long been unaware of this, it was now clearly seen that his caretaker suffered from illness. He never spoke much about it, though he did seem to regret that it had forced him to quit as a shinobi. Naruto worried about his caretaker, and often did as much for him as he could. The man's seemingly indifferent attitude towards his own fate also puzzled Naruto. But the situation did not affect Naruto's training. As the scrolls predominantly contained theory about fuinjutsu, the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan, Haruki could help him a lot with understanding the theory, despite his inability to create the required amounts of chakra to actually form the seals himself.

Seals required an eye for detail Naruto never really had. However, his impatience was outmatched by his desire to learn his clan's techniques. To Naruto, it felt like the only link he had to a family he had never known. With time, and Haruki's help, the ever increasing skill with his kage bunshin, and his determination, Naruto's skill grew faster than anyone suspected. Haruki quickly realized that Naruto's unusual creativity allowed him to alter seals in ways normal people would not have thought of. Not that Haruki told his protégé that he was a genius.

Especially because Haruki's byakugan had more than once avoided costly mistakes, so overconfidence was the last thing Naruto needed. And with the use of his clones, Naruto also quickly mastered the kawarimi no Jutsu. Quite an invaluable technique when testing seals that carried the risk of explosions, shockwaves, or electrocutions upon activation.

Most of the seals he mastered, however, were not used for combat, but rather for utility, like a simple storage seal which allowed him to carry several objects with him at all times. But the seal which was Naruto's favourite made people unable to notice him. Even Jiraiya, who usually visited once every few months, was surprised by the 'stealth seal' as Naruto had named it. Jiraiya even joked that it was more useful than his peeping jutsu, earning him a glare from Haruki, though he admitted that he never knew that the Uzumaki scrolls contained anything like that. A fact Naruto did not emphasize on.

In truth, the scrolls had not contained that seal at all. Naruto had kept an item from the events that had changed his life so much: a part of the mask that he had worn when he was kidnapped. Though the seal written on the mask was very, very tiny, and a small part of it had broken off, Naruto had still been able to recreate the seal. Though, the chakra consumption for maintaining the seal was no joke. Not even for Naruto, who had come to realize that his chakra capacity truly was exceptional, as time had passed at the academy.

At the same time, Naruto carefully kept his increasing skills a secret from his classmates. Though he did well enough during classes, Naruto made sure not to stand out. He attracted enough attention to him as he was – even though they did not know about his 'guest'. Though Ino kept prodding, at times even nagging, him for more information. And more than once he spotted the shy Hyuga heiress watching him. At some times, Naruto simply activated the stealth seal just to avoid Ino during breaks, whenever he spotter her blonde ponytail. '_Some people are just too curious, while I have no desire to tell anyone anything that might arouse suspicion_,'Naruto sighed. He had promised Jiraiya to keep his skills a secret for now, and Naruto intended to never break his promises.

Not that hiding seemed to work too well. Some people seemed to look at him differently than most. Like Shikamaru, a boy who Naruto would almost call friendly. If Naruto had not thought that the boy simply was too lazy to hate him. But Shikamaru often made sure that either he or Choji, a rather 'big boned' Akimichi, paired up with him when they had to spar during classes, something which Naruto never really understood, but appreciated nonetheless. Though, he made sure never to call Choji fat, having seen the effect when the unruly Inuzuka had said that once.

Their strange behaviour was rather useful, as probably the only one who willingly worked with Naruto was Hinata, who still kept fainting at the wrong moments. Like during the taijutsu practice where Naruto accidentally hit her in the chest. If Naruto learned one thing at the academy, it was that girls were strange. Not to mention dangerous. A short tempered Sakura, for example, was something Naruto quickly learned to avoid.

Yet, of all the people in class, there was one in whom Naruto could particularly empathize. Ironically, it was a boy who was his counterpart in almost anything. Uchiha Sasuke enjoyed endless popularity with almost every girl, and equal respect from almost every boy in class. The teachers all favoured him as much as they did not favour Naruto. At times, Naruto enjoyed pissing Sasuke off, as the latter always tried to be best of the class, and handled any defeat badly. Very badly.

But Naruto had learned that boy's clan was massacred a few year before, all during one night at the Uchiha estate. And though Sasuke acted spoiled, and ignored all the things Naruto desired – the love, trust, or admiration from others – Naruto couldn't bring himself to being jealous. Though Naruto never really had anyone to begin with, while Sasuke was someone who lost everyone he had cared about. Naruto could easily see the pain, sadness, and loneliness the Uchiha boy tried to hide. It was certainly something Naruto could understand, and relate to. Though at times, for instance due to a lost match, Naruto also saw the boy's lingering anger and hate.

In an introspective mood, Naruto realized he too had a lot of anger and hatred inside him. With all his heart, he felt like he never could repay what the Hyuga had done for him. He felt gratitude to Hinata, Hitomi, and several other Hyuga. Just like he felt gratitude towards Jiraiya and the Hokage. But Naruto could not forget how everyone else had treated him either. The villagers, many of his classmates, and those teachers, such as that bastard Mizuki. Many of them treated him like he was some rabid dog. Though, Naruto thought that one teacher, Umino Iruka, was different from Mizuki.

Perhaps Iruka was the only non-Hyuga adult aside from the Hokage and Jiraiya who treated him like an actual human being. Even to the point where he once treated Naruto on ramen, when he saw the boy wandering through the streets of Konoha.

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto," one of the teachers called, asking him to enter the classroom for the final exam. After closing the door behind him, Mizuki took the lead, "Well Naruto-san, could you please start by showing us your skill in the henge no jutsu?"

Naruto smiled, as had long mastered the techniques that were mandatory in the academy. Well, the bunshin was still impossible, though Naruto had not really put much effort in it, after learning the kage bunshin no jutsu it was simply not necessary. "_And again that Mizuki-bastard wants me to fail_," Naruto thought bitterly, after the said person had picked every technique he thought Naruto was bad at. Finishing with the bunshin no jutsu..

"Thanks, but no, Mizuki-sensei"

"What? Do you _want_ to fail the exam?" Mizuki asked, with a bad effort to keep a smirk from his face.

'_I might not have the byakugan, but the Haruki taught me well enough in the art of reading people's expression and posture.'_ Naruto thought, before stating "You know all too well that I cannot perform the bunshin no jutsu, sensei. But if you don't mind, I could show an alternative."

"An alternative?" Mizuki asked, confused. "What alternative is there to.."

Mizuki's mouth fell open when he saw the entire classroom filling up with Narutos. Iruka, though equally shocked, at least responded with some cheer. "Kage bunshin? Naruto, how did you learn this?!"

Naruto shrugged and smiled, not willing to reveal that Jiraiya had taught him, "Cant tell.. It's a secret, Iruka-sensei. Does this mean I passed the final exam?"

Not answering his question, Iruka just proudly stood up and gave him his forehead protector. "You have earned this, Naruto. Congratulations on making it to genin." He smiled at Naruto's exaggerated bowing, realizing that this was probably the first time he ever saw Naruto show real happiness.

This boy had suffered more from the fox then anyone did, just like the Hokage said at Iruka's appointment the previous year.

* * *

As Naruto walked out, finally free from the academy, he noticed Hitomi waiting outside. Obviously, Hinata was somewhere near, but she always seemed to have problems facing him.

"Well, how did your exam go, Naruto?"

Naruto held up the metal plate with the sign of Konoha inscribed in it, and smiled proudly. "Perfectly, Hitomi-sama. Even though I messed up the bunshin no jutsu," the boy said at a mischievous tone.

"It must've been a pleasant surprise to them," the Hyuga smiled. '_Naruto hasn't been this cheerful in a long time.'_

Blushing furiously, but smiling as well, Hinata also showed her 'prize' to Naruto.

* * *

As if it were a little private party, Naruto was invited to dine with the main family. Fortunately, this time no incidents occurred. The residents of the estate recently had gone through a few incidents, often fire-related. Several people had died, others had vanished without a trace. Some, both from head and branch, whispered that Naruto had something to do with it. A simple test had pointed out that Naruto had an affinity for futon, not katon, removing most suspicions. Even after several years, the majority of the Hyuga clan still asked themselves whether Naruto could be trusted. Though, this was not a worry of this night.

Tonight was celebration. As formal as the Hyuga might be, having two of their residents go through a promotion was reason enough to throw a little party. Even when it concerned the two children who were arguably also the two least trusted by the clan. Contrary to Naruto, who wasn't trusted as a person, but who did have skill, many doubted Hinata's skill as much as her personality.

It was not a secret that Hinata was considered to gentle to ever be a proper shinobi. Not that Hitomi ever allowed anyone to speak such words. Despite that, it was a public secret that her own husband was the first to be disappointed in her skill. Especially when Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, showed a lot more potential, Hinata's position as heir was shaky at best. Especially now that Hiashi had shifted his focus on training Hanabi, rather than Hinata.

But this dinner was a relatively happy occasion, with enough food to even satisfy Naruto. Though he really did not understand why ramen was not appropriate during celebratory banquets, no matter how Haruki tried to convince him about it. Apparently, this discussion greatly amused both Hinata and Hitomi, causing him to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. Haruki sighed, and thought '_how uncivilized would this boy have become if we hadn't given him lessons in etiquette..'_

In the formal environment of the Hyuga clan, Naruto always stayed a bit foreign. Though the few who knew him well enough, realized that his apparent cheerfulness was just a mask. Haruki recently discussed this with Hiashi, being aware of Naruto's burden. At the end of the dinner, Haruki saw Naruto's pensive look, '_perhaps it would've been better if he had lived in a less formal and rigid environment.. That look he has, could Hiashi-sama be right about him being slowly infected by the monster? At times, Naruto even _feels_ the same as the fox did all those years ago. If had been anyone else.. It's not just his physical strength, but his mental strength which is extraordinary.'_

'_Perhaps this change is good, a team could mean he finally creates some real bonds. A reason for him to resist the kitsune,'_ Haruki mused.

* * *

**A/N**: I kept this part relatively short, not wanting to waste too much time on things of which I thought were not that spectacular. It's still building up, or you could just call it a transition chapter. Next, I'll start with the genin arc, which focuses on Naruto joining a team and doing several missions, after which the chunin exam arc will follow eventually. Of course, each arc consists of multiple chapters, so I don't know how long it'll take until we get there. Things will be based on the manga, but I _will_ deviate.

You'll all see what I mean, soon.

-Z-


	4. Team 7

**Team 7**

* * *

Only the last nine of those who made it as genin now waited in the classroom. To Naruto's rejoice, the final time he had to spend time in a place he had come to hate. '_Well, hate it back, was more like it_,' he thought. And most of the idiots of his class had already entered the previous teams. Well, with the exception of the Uchiha of course…

After a while, a tall, black haired and bearded man first entered. With a casual tone and posture, "Would Akimichi Choji , Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino come with me to training area six?" None of the three seemed surprised. Naruto knew that their parents had been teammates as well, and as they were the heads of their respective clans, it would be likely that their children would be put in one team as well. Naruto sighed. If Naruto had to pick anyone from his class, he would have liked it if he had been in a team with Shikamaru or Choji. Well, at least Hinata was also still there.

Immediately after the left, a fairly tall, black haired woman entered. She had remarkably red eyes, like they just looked right through someone. She had a gentle voice, though the message it carried was hard for Hinata. "Would Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba follow me?" Downcast, the girl followed her. Naruto groaned when he considered who were left. He would be in a team with Sakura and Sasuke. '_Great, just the two who least like me,'_ he thought. Iruka apologized, stating that their sensei would probably be late. '_Perfect,'_ Naruto thought sarcastically, '_A team that doesn't want me, and a sensei that seems to care too little to get here on time._'

Naruto sighed, and looked outside, dozing off. The downside of using the kage bunshin no jutsu to learn things faster was the mental strain. These days, it seemed as if Naruto slept half of the day, even though he worked harder than any other genin of his class.

After a while Iruka had to leave, and Sakura started to talk to Sasuke. Though, it was one-way traffic, as the latter hardly seemed to listen. Sasuke was equally disappointed in the team. Well, not that he thought he needed team members, but at the very least there could have been some useful ones. Looking to the other side of the room, he saw Naruto had fallen asleep. '_Great, the fangirl and the lazy idiot._'

About an hour later, a man finally entered the room. His silver coloured hair looked like he just got out of bed, and his eyes did not show any hint of interest in them. But he coughed hard enough to wake Naruto. "Training ground three, thirty minutes," he said, with a bored tone, before he vanished in a small puff of smoke and leaves.

"Wait, what?" Sakura exclaimed.

Naruto shrugged, "It just a little north, next to the river. I guess he wants to see how fast we are."

"Yeah but he could at least have… wait, where did he go?" Sakura turned to Sasuke after she noticed Naruto had already left. Not that Sasuke was still in his chair, making Sakura realize that she too had to move. And fast.

* * *

Like he had expected, the Uchiha prodigy arrived first. Kakashi had heard a little about him, and knew he was the top of his class. '_Well, it made sense to drop the last Uchiha on me_,' Kakashi mused. '_I am the last one capable of teaching him. Aside from his brother of course.'_ The second was a surprise, Kakashi hadn't heard that much about the Haruno girl, but when he observed them while they waited, and she mostly seemed the fangirl type. Usually not the most useful type of kunoichi, but she seemed to have above average chakra control, Kakashi remembered from his report. Her scores on the theoretical exams were even higher than those of Sasuke, but she was average when it came to applying those skills.

Kakashi actually began to worry as the thirty minute mark was nearly reached. The report on the Uzumaki boy was a bit 'indecipherable,' Kakashi thought. '_On average, his grades weren't anything special, but every once in a while he excelled, and his ratings were all over the place. Never showing much talent at ninjutsu, and then suddenly throwing out kage bunshin like it was nothing. Failing to do something simple one day, then defeating someone like Sasuke in single combat the day after. Hokage-sama warned me he might be a bit troublesome to deal with, but didn't say much about his skill or potential. And the jinchuriki business only complicates things further.'_

Luckily, Naruto arrived just in time. Casually strolling, with an empty box which had contained the take away food he bought at Ichiraku's. The fact that he took the time to buy and eat food made Kakashi's brows raise a bit. At least, the one that was visible behind his mask. '_He couldn't have used shunshin on this distance, could he?'_

"Well, now are all here, welcome to team seven. I'll introduce first, and then each of you will state your name, goals, likes, and dislikes, ok? My name is Hatake Kakashi, I'm a jonin, I don't have any desires to talk about my likes or dislikes. Uhm as for my dreams… and hobbies.."

The three genin looked at each other, and shrugged at the nondescript statement. Naruto started out, even though he did not like to. "Ok, I guess… My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen," while he held up the empty box, "and dislike short-sighted and stupid people. I guess my dream would be becoming Hokage."

The latter caused a chuckle from Sasuke, and Sakura continued. "My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is… well the person I like is... and uhm… my dream is.. OH YEAH," she squeaked.

Obvious to all but the fangirl herself, was the sigh of their new sensei.

Naruto just rolled his eyes, having seen enough of these kinds of situation the previous three years. Worse, he had seen her and Ino together. Small wonder Hinata did not really fit into their little group. '_Hinata may be a little odd, but I would rather have had her in my team than any of the other girls. Why can't they just act normally around Sasuke, it's not like he ever gave them any hope.'_

Having had enough, Sasuke continued before the girls rant could continue. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike, not really anything I do like. And my dream.. I guess you can call it a dream. The resurrection of my clan and the death of the man who caused it to fall."

"Alright, so much for the introductions, now we will do a little test," Kakashi said as he put down a clock. "You three have till noon to get these two bells from me. If you don't have a bell at noon, you fail the test, ok?"

"What happens with the person who doesn't get a bell, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, suddenly back to earth due to the stated assignment.

"Well, if you fail you go back to the academy. So go all out if you want to catch me. Oh yeah, another thing: if I see you I might attack you, so make sure to be careful…," Kakashi added with a deceivingly innocent voice. And he vanished again.

* * *

'_I wonder what was worse, that guy's attitude or his plain disinterest..'_ Naruto frowned. '_Damn… I had hoped to hide a bit longer, at least until the pervert returned. But I did not have to keep my promise if it was for Konoha.'_

Naruto thought a bit, and smirked. '_And showing that silver haired bastard what I can _is_ my duty, isn't it?'_

* * *

From a tree across the clearing Kakashi watched Sasuke and Sakura hide, but he was surprised when he saw Naruto sitting down on the ground. Calmly putting four sheets of paper on the ground, and placing an empty scroll on the ground.

'_What the.. Barrier seals? Guess that explains all those scrolls at his belt. And what is he drawing? Did someone teach him fuinjutsu? No, that not something that suits the Hyuga.. Ah well, I'd better take down that barrier first,'_ Kakashi thought, while he threw a couple of shuriken at the barrier to test it, while keeping a look out for the other two genin.

Surprisingly, the barriers exploded the moment the shuriken hit. And though the young Uzumaki jumped out of the smoke unharmed, he had an annoyed look on his face. Kakashi created a kage bunshin to deal with the boy. Though, it had surprised him at first, the weakness of the barriers made Kakashi reconsider. Strange enough, the boy's look changed to amusement when the clone popped up in front of him a few moments later. '_He's smiling? Either he is really stupid or this is some kind of trick..'_ the clone of Kakashi realized.

"Thank you, sensei," Naruto said, nonchalantly. Not against the bunshin, but against the real Kakashi.

"How... how did you get here?" Kakashi managed to say, after a short pause, as he was caught completely off guard.

The boy grinned, "Well, while you underestimated me, sensei, I used the barrier as a diversion. I prepared my jutsu as well as a kage bunshin. The bunshin leapt out of the smoke from my barriers, giving me the opportunity to track you down."

"But how did you sneak up to me," Kakashi wondered. "How did you find me?"

"Simple, one of the seals I know makes sure you can go around unnoticed, unless you touch someone or start talking. The bell was kinda hard to take without touching you though," the boy added while scratching the back of his head, with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face. "And.. Well, you know who I am. No offense, but sensing you is not that hard at all."

Obviously, Naruto hadn't expected this to be this easy. Nor had Kakashi expected the boy to possess such skill..

After a few moments, Kakashi regained enough composure to start worrying about the other two. "You wait down there, Naruto. By the logs over there. Look out for the traps though.."

'_Gheh, he didn't even give me the chance to start reading my book.. What a kid. Haven't felt embarrassed like this since Itachi.'_

* * *

It took a while, but when noon finally arrived, Kakashi returned to the three stubs at the centre of the clearing. All things considered, Kakashi was somewhat impressed. Not that he would show it to them, of course. No need to make his genin too complacent. Especially because they did fail the actual test..

Sakura had just kicked Naruto, who sat against one of the logs and was fast asleep. "Where the hell were you? Did you want to fail?" she shouted.

Sasuke looked annoyed, but Naruto was just plain angry. "Go kick someone else, birdbrain! You always need someone to throw your frustration at, don't you, Sakura?" Before she could reply, he threw the bell at her face. "Here," he sneered. "Since you guys couldn't catch one, this is how it looks like.."

"What?" Sakura started to protest, not believing what she saw. "How did you... but Sasuke-kun.."

"Well, seems like Naruto-kun was the only one who caught a bell. And it looks like you two need to go back to the academy.." Kakashi sighed. "But that doesn't matter. All three of you should just quit pretending to be shinobi".

That certainly caught the attention of the three. Naruto was the first to recover. "That cannot be right.. You said that we had to catch a bell, and we did catch one," he said, his eyes narrowed.

"If you think like that you should already know why I think all three of you should quit. None of you deserve to be shinobi. Naruto, your performance was easily the best. Yes Sasuke," the jonin responded to the scowl Sasuke made, "But Naruto, you never considered your teammates. Even worse, you hid your abilities from them, hindering any chance of teamwork."

"Sasuke," the jonin continued. "You just rushed away on your own. Right from the start, just like Naruto you never even considered you teammates. How is this teamwork? You cannot expect yourself to do everything, no matter how good you think you might be."

"And Sakura, your performance was the worst, you really should not fall for a simply genjutsu like that," Kakashi added with a disapproving tone. "Unlike the others, you thought of someone besides yourself, but you only focused on Sasuke. You were close enough when Naruto caught me off guard. If you had paid a little attention to what he did, you would have had a fair chance of getting a bell as well. I don't say your affection is something bad, but at least try to control your heart a little. If you allow yourself to be blinded by love, you can better quit entirely. Just go work in a hospital, or something like that, if you cannot control your own emotions properly."

Sasuke looked infuriated, and Sakura blushed, ashamed but incapable of objecting to the words Kakashi had just spoken. Naruto was merely confused. Why would this jonin expect others to want to work together with him? '_Perhaps I should just fail on purpose, just for the hell of it. Would also be a chance to avoid being in this shitty team,' _Naruto considered for a moment, before he rejected the idea. Going back to the academy again would hardly be any better than this.

"All three of you should consider this: if you want to become a shinobi, you need to think about your team first. If you only think about yourself, it will not be just your own funeral, but also that of your team members. And then I don't even want to think about the consequences of failing a mission.." Kakashi paused for a moment. "But, since you did manage to catch one bell, I suppose it would be fair to give you another try. Stop underestimating ninjas, and start working as a team. Restart in fifteen minutes" Kakashi took Naruto's bell, and once again vanished.

"I don't get it, why work as a team if one of us fails anyway?" Sakura asked confused.

"The test isn't about the bells, he just said so," Sasuke replied with an undercurrent of anger. "You, how did you manage to catch that bell?" He pointed at Naruto. Who was somewhat offended by the Uchiha's rudeness. At least, he would be, if he wasn't accustomed to it already.

"Have you really not paid any attention? Morons," Naruto sighed. "Listen, I'm not particularly happy about this team either, but I don't plan to fail due to something like this. Yes, I might be able to catch him again. But it seems unlikely that the same way will work again. The seal I just used to sneak up to him only applies to me, I haven't figured out how to do it on anything besides myself and my bunshin. Besides, the chakra cost is annoying. But I do have other options. All I need to know is where he is."

"And that is where you need us.." Sasuke deduced with a sigh. Even though it severely hurt his pride to cooperate with the blond, he knew there was no other way against this opponent. "All right then, you are right, we have no other option. Not against someone like Kakashi. What do you want from us?"

"Wait, what are you going to do Naruto?" Sakura demanded, surprised by Sasuke's sudden twist.

"Well, if I put enough chakra in a gravitation seal, it would probably immobilize him long enough for someone else to capture the bells. Downside it that it applies to everything within range, the moment I release it. So I will be down as well. And whoever manages to lure Kakashi-sensei will be caught as well.."

Naruto looked at Sakura, and smirked for a moment. "So distracting Kakashi-sensei will be your job. Between the two of you, Sasuke is obviously the fastest, and considering the limited duration of the seal, and the distance that needs to be crossed, he would have the best chance to grab the bells."

"I get it. Well, I guess there is no alternative?"

"Not unless you have some hidden power.." Naruto replied dryly. Luckily, they would not understand the irony of the remark he just made. Besides, he knew that Sakura would never hide anything for Sasuke, and the latter would never hide anything if it gave him the opportunity to show off. "I saw sensei move while I waited, and his speed is above my own. He also uses skills to hide and escape which I've never seen before. Obviously, this task is designed so it would be impossible for an individual genin to even get near those bells."

'_And still you did it..'_ Sasuke grimaced, before he nodded.

Sakura could not follow all the new information. The outcast, Naruto, suddenly possessed great skill? Skill great enough that even Sasuke-kun would listen to him? "But there are only two.."

"The bells don't matter," Sasuke cut her off, annoyed that the girl was still repeating that. "This is simply a test to look at our teamwork. And considering this is the first time we work together, it's probably aimed at our potential, and not the actual performance. We just got fooled," he concluded, frowning.

"Yep, that's all right. And this sounds a lot better," Kakashi said, looking down on the genin from the stub. None of them had noticed him being there, a testament of his skill. Naruto wondered how the jonin had managed to supress his presence like this. Though, he knew he was focused on planning and not on his 'sense'. Kakashi smiled carefree, "If you continue to act like this, I guess I can let you guys pass. Though, I truly want to hear more about your fuinjutsu Naruto."

Kakashi did not want to bother with another few hours of being chased. '_And that fuinjutsu of Naruto sounds dangerous.. What else did he hide? This surely reeks of Jiraiya-sama's meddling.'_

Hopping down from the stub, Kakashi continued. "You know, you guys are the first who didn't start fighting after I scolded you. Most of them were just morons, who only thought about their own chances, blamed each other, and were not willing to risk being the ones not getting a bell. There are all those great codes and rules, but most people just fail to understand that they have to risk their lives, or sometimes forfeit their lives. And only trash sacrifices others for a meaningless mission. The real heroes of Konoha you can see on the stone monument at the entrance of the village. Those are the people who sacrificed their lives for their team mates, for their friends, family and village. Tomorrow at 9 we meet again at this spot, allright?"

* * *

"Just tell him about the team I'm stuck with, I guess he will want to know. Though Kakashi-sensei was one of the few jonin he previously mentioned, so he probably already knows," Naruto said. Hinata, who noticed him as he entered the estate, frowned. Whatever he talked at, it was small. Curiously, she decided to get closer.

"Though, you might add that he could've picked another pair of genin, if he had a hand in the formation of my team anyway. Putting me in a team with those two idiots... Though I suppose Sakura wouldn't have been such a problem if _he_ wasn't around," Naruto added sourly. "I'd rather have had Choji or Shikamaru around, or Hi.."

"Ehm.." Hinata tried to speak up, though they were both cut off by someone grumbling.

"Why didn't you call a messenger if that's all you want?" an odd voice croaked.

"And a few days ago you complained that I hadn't summoned you enough, Kichi," Naruto chuckled.

"Well this is no action, and I should go, before the chick sees me," the one named Kichi said, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

Hinata noticed Naruto stare at her, and was unpleasantly aware of how her jaw had dropped. "A frog?" she managed to say.

Naruto laughed which surprised Hinata a bit. Naruto did not laugh very often.. "_Never_ mention that to them, they hate 'em. Gamakichi is a toad," Naruto chuckled.

"I signed the toad summoning contract a few years ago," he explained upon seeing her confusion. "Jiraiya made me do it, and taught me summoning them. Best way to exchange messages, he said, as we are the only two who have the contract. He also made me promise to keep it a secret.. So, please don't tell anyone. Especially not Hiashi-sama. I heard he met Gamabunta, Gamakichi's dad, a long time ago. They weren't very friendly from what I gathered.. Toads aren't very well mannered," he smiled.

"I.. I see," Hinata stammered. "H- How did your meeting with your jonin sensei go?"

"Hmm I got that Kakashi-guy. Remember the one that Hizashi-sama is always grumbling about?"

Hinata smiled faintly as the recalled her uncle's latest rant concerning the 'less punctual' jonin. "Uncle did say that Kakashi-san was highly skilled."

"I saw that during the test he gave us."

"Test?" Hinata wondered. "Kurenai-sensei did not give us a test. She seemed very nice, though she did scold Kiba-san a few times."

"Knowing him, not without reason," Naruto frowned. "But yeah, Kakashi-sensei tested us for our teamwork. Not very surprising, in hindsight, if you know a little about my 'team,'" he added sarcastically.

"Sakura and Sasuke in one team might be a bit.. Troublesome," Hinata copied one of her other classmates.

"That's quite the understatement," Naruto added darkly. "Though, Sasuke seems to be just as annoyed by her behaviour, though I suppose everything annoys him.." Naruto suddenly looked at his watch, and apologized to her. "Apologies, Hinata-sama, I have to run some errands for Haruki-san and Ako-san."

"I told you to stop with 'sama,'" Hinata said softly, while he already ran away. Though, she supposed that it was progress, being able to talk with him for this long. Usually, either she messed up, or he went away with some polite reason. She always got the feeling he wanted to flee, whenever someone was talking to him.

As she turned towards the head family's building, Ako appeared.

* * *

The younger sister of her own guard, Ko, had been tasked to attend to Naruto and Haruki, after the latter had a fairly heavy seizure, a few months ago. "Apologies, Hinata-sama, but Haruki-san asked me if you wanted to speak to him," she bowed, leaded Hinata towards the man's cottage after Hinata had nodded.

"Good afternoon, Hinata-sama," Haruki said. "Don't look that worried, please. I don't look that bad, do I?" he added with a slight grin, before nodding towards Ako, who left the room before closing the doors.

"Though it is not very.. Courteous to do this, I'd like to discuss Naruto-kun's wellbeing with you. I am sworn not to share any details, but I do believe this is necessary. You must understand Naruto-kun has some burdens to carry, for instance because most people don't like him."

Hinata looked downcast. "Haruki-san, why do people hate Naruto so much? Father won't tell me, and mother said that I should either ask father or Naruto-kun himself." Tears appeared in her white eyes. "Naruto-kun never did anything wrong, yet no one ever gives him a chance.. I know he acts like it doesn't bother him, but.."

"But he hides his feelings and evades others when he has the chance to do so," Haruki finished the sentence for her. "I am sorry, but I cannot tell you more about this either. What I do want to ask of you, is to help him. Naruto-kun has no luxury of friends, and no one of his own age to share his burdens with."

Hinata's shocked look made Haruki laugh. "I'm apologizing for being so blunt, but I know you are quite uncomfortable around Naruto. On the other hand, you are one of the few people who Naruto talks with, and who genuinely care about him. Naruto keeps people at a distance, to protect himself, but he sees you as the one who saved him from those orphanages. I think that, if anyone is capable of helping him, it is you, Hinata-sama. If you would be willing to do so."

Hinata's blushed, and seemed confused. "B-But, N-Naruto-kun saved me! Twice.. How could he feel indebted to me?"

"My guess would be that Naruto-kun just thinks he did what the right thing to do, while the Hyuga clan did something for him which was unprecedented to him. He had only experienced orphanages, where people only thought of him as another burden, at best. The Hyuga clan took him in, trained him, and educated him," Haruki said. "And I believe Naruto now thinks in terms of what his 'duty' to others is."

"I.. I never knew he felt like that. I- I- Whenever I t- talk to him, I always seem to m-mess everything up. I just freeze and f-faint.. I'm just a failu-"

"I believe Hinata-sama has a lot more strength than she thinks. Please believe in that too. I know the clan puts high demands on you, but there are many kinds of strength. Your kindness is not a weakness," Haruki added kindly, looking at her shocked face, "Your kindness could be the thing which can save Naruto. I fear what could happen if Naruto-kun completely loses faith in humanity.. And God knows that people did enough for that to be understandable.." Haruki sighed.

Hinata nodded, seemingly more confident than when she entered. Even though she was not in the same team as Naruto, she could at least talk to him when he was at the Hyuga estate. The few years older Ako let her out, with a look of sympathy. "Please ask me if you ever need any help, Hinata-sama."

* * *

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi bowed.

"Ah, good afternoon Kakashi," Hiruzen answered. "So, how did you team do?"

"Hmmpf. Can't say it much of a team. Still don't know why you wanted to put Sasuke and Naruto in one team. They are about the two least compatible genin I've seen."

The hokage sighed, and gestured that Kakashi should take the seat opposite to his desk. "I know that both boys carry heavy burdens. But my hope is that they might be able to understand each other, _because_ of those burdens." Hiruzen paused for a moment. "Besides, they both need the sharingan. Sasuke will need someone to guide him when he awakens his own, and Naruto.. The sharingan might be the best chance we have if he should lose control."

The visible part of Kakashi's face paled. "You mean that I should.. How stable is his seal?"

"The seal is as strong as it could be, after all these years. The Kyuubi no Kitsune is no simple creature.. Not something that is stopped, even with a seal as strong as the one which Minato made. I fear its influence on Naruto could become dangerous. You are one of the very few who might stand a chance when the monster takes over, and it might be possible that Sasuke could help you, if he manages to awake his sharingan."

Kakashi nodded, knowing what he would need to do. This assignment was more dangerous than expected, almost enough to make him long for his old position with the ANBU..

* * *

"That was quite a harsh thing to do, to put such a burden on an already troubled girl."

Haruki's eyes widened in shock. "Hitomi-sama!"

"So, cousin. Why this course of action? You must know there already have been a few attempts on her life, because the consensus is that my daughter is unfit to be heir.."

Recognizing the undercurrent of anger, Haruki decided to tell her everything. Well, as much as could, without violating the trust Naruto placed on him. "I realize her burden very well, cousin. Yet I also see Naruto's burden. I truly believe that they can help each other. Yes, the majority of the clan would not approve of her love for him, but I highly doubt either of them would care. Well, not that Naruto realizes it yet, even though Hinata is not very difficult to understand in this aspect."

Haruki sighed deeply. "Naruto may have his grand goal of becoming Hokage, but that is not his real goal. To him it is merely a way to become accepted, and to change the world that tormented him. From the moment he was born, his life has been a struggle. I care about him as if he was my own son. Minako and I always wanted to have a kid, but you know she died before we could get married. And as things are now, I will soon join her. I do not regret that, but I cannot simply abandon Naruto to the hatred of our village, or the hatred of the Kyuubi, either. You of all people _must_ be able to see that he is slowly losing the fight.."

"His body language fluctuates, his chakra sometimes spikes, and its colour.. I know enough, also that Hiashi is concerned. But to shove it on my daughter. I cannot accept that."

"I know. But she is the only one capable of helping. In their own ways, they care for each other. If there is one who can break through the downwards spiral he is locked in, it is your daughter. And about the consequences.." Haruki took the time to formulate it carefully, knowing full well his cousin was the Hyuga's master of ready body language. "I do not think Naruto will allow it that anyone harms Hinata."

Hitomi's eyes narrowed at his statement. Knowing the boy's lineage would not present a problem, she never opposed the two children getting closer, even though Hiashi had his reservations. But she thought it was even more important because of Hinata's feelings. Being accepted by the one she loved, her self-confidence would increase, and with it biggest problem in her fighting ability. Which, in turn, might change the way the clan saw her. Still.. The risks were no laughing matter. Though she clearly saw her cousin was hiding _something_. Was he somehow connected to the failed attempts on her daughter's life? '_Either way, there are no signs he means to hurt Hinata, even though he knows the risk he took._'

Hitomi sighed, and rubbed brows. "Very well, I will not interfere. Not yet at least. But I warn you, she is not yet aware of his burden. Her response when she will realize it can cause a lot trouble, if you are right on how much he cares about her. But you should at the very least briefly teach him about the subjects of love and relationships. Though I have to admit that he is mostly an enigma to me, it is clear that he is oblivious on that," she chuckled.

'_That would make teaching him etiquette look like nothing..' _After raising his brows, knowing how difficult _that_ could become, he bowed. "I will my lady." She left him while thinking how she could bring this to Hiashi. _Gently_. He might not think his daughter would be a suitable heir, but he did not seem to look very favourable towards her getting involved with a jinchuriki either.

Or perhaps she should just remain silent. After all, he used to be just as clueless as Naruto. She smiled while thinking back on how he finally realized she loved him, _after_ she taught him to read body language.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! I had not expected to get this many views or already get responses in such a short time! I'll take some time to respond to the reviews, not that I will always do this, but some important things were addressed. Guess I still have enough to improve myself in my writing. Anyway, this is the kickoff for the genin arc. Naruto left the academy and joined team 7. Not that the team is perfect, but it'll grow. I had planned to upload this chapter along with the previous three, but I found a few errors in it, so I worked on it a little first.

For the record: I do not plan on bashing characters. I have some characters which I like or dislike in the manga, but seeing as I have little liberty in here, I just try to alter those characters a little bit. I try to keep the starting points of the characters the same as the manga though, but they will develop a bit differently. Well, in some cases more than just a 'bit'...

Flameraven1: It's true that Hinata is still more or less the same, even though her mother is around in this story, and Naruto is close. But Naruto wasn't that much of a help. Well, not in the sense that he was her friend. Naruto is not the most social kind of guy right now. As for Hinata herself, I believe she was already shy as a child, even in the manga, and I did not want to change it. Beyond that, within the Hyuga there is a lot of _doubt_ whether Hinata is suitable as an heir or not, specifically because of her shy personality. So making her very confident did not make much sense to me. As for her relation with Ino: I liked how Ino acted around Sakura when they were kids (in the manga), helping out those who needed her aid. It is her gentle side, so to say. But real friendship… I actually did not plan to explore their bond much further, but it is an interesting idea.. I'll expand on that one later on.

BentShuriken: Regarding Naruto being able to sense malice: I'll explore this ability a little in the upcoming chapters. It isn't as flawless as one might believe. If my life would depend on seeing through lies, I would rather rely on someone who mastered the byakugan, than on Naruto's abilty ^^

A little note on Naruto's stealth seal: this isn't perfect either. It costs quite some chakra to keep it up, and only works for him and the things he is in direct contact with. So it does have some limitations. Especially when considering he has to work in a team now. Though.. Naruto only had a shard of that mask…

But the last thing I want right now is a near-perfect Naruto. I'm already giving him more skill than he originally has at this point, but he also trained for these skills quite hard. Yet, he still has quite obvious flaws. For one: he sees the bigger picture of things, but usually fails to pay attention to the details.. Personally, I think that fanfic with overly skilled characters are a bit annoying. But, Naruto is the host of the most powerful bijuu, so comparing him to the regular kids is just as pointless as it was in the original manga.. Still, for those who would worry: Kakashi _is_ stronger than Naruto. At least, at this point in the story! Naruto merely tricked him, while Kakashi underestimated his opponent. Naruto is the one who still need to grow, though.

-Z-

PS: credit to those who deserve it, I found this nice picture of Naruto and 'dark Naruto,' and used it as cover image, I will add a link to the creator/editor of the image to my profile!


	5. Morning exercise

**Morning exercise**

* * *

It was nearly half past ten when Kakashi finally showed up. Naruto had been too bored, and had fallen asleep sitting next to a large oak. Sakura knew Sasuke was somewhere near, but he had stalked off after she had tried to talk to him. "Sasuke! Sensei showed up", the pink-haired kunoichi shouted, also waking up Naruto.

"Morning guys", Kakashi said on a casual tone.

"Weren't we supposed to meet at nine?", Sasuke frowned.

"Hmmm nine you say?", Kakashi raised his visible brow. "Ah well, lets start now we are all here."

Naruto stood up, not that he still had any interest at this point. "You always show up late, don't you, sensei?"

Kakashi ignored the remark, and instead focussed on putting his vest right. "Well, we had a little experience yesterday, but let's talk a little about our skills. You guys are supposed to work as a team, and the first thing I expect from my teammates is to know what they can do."

"Err… Sensei? What do you mean, skills?", Sakura asked, raising her hand. "We just left the academy…"

"Attending the academy did not stop you from learning other jutsu, right?", Kakashi said on a dry tone.

"Well… No.. But."

"Sakura, in your case I would recommend studying genjutsu", Kakashi said to the hesitant girl. "From what I saw yesterday, it seemed to me like you were the genjutsu-type."

"Genjutsu? But that requires..", Sakura started, before she noticed Sasuke's dismissive look.

"Of course, the Uchiha have the advantage with their sharingan", Kakashi said pointedly, also spotting Sasuke's expression. "But in-born talent rarely matches the actual skill people can reach if they work hard for it."

"They don't teach proper genjutsu at the academy anyway", Sasuke said coldly. "The basic skills aside, I can execute some katon ninjutsu."

"I saw, yesterday", Kakashi remarked. "Though, with some additional training in your chakra control, you would be able to do more damage. Affinity alone is not enough."

"Basic skills, along with some futon, and fuinjutsu", Naruto sighed when Kakashi turned towards him. "And kage bunshin."

"I saw your kage bunshin yesterday.. Impressive for a genin", Kakashi admitted. "And I would like to hear more about your fuinjutsu."

"What I can do with it?", Naruto frowned. He sighed when Kakashi kept looking. "Well, I can use some barriers, a stealth seal, gravitation seal, and weight seals", he shrugged. "Nothing special, I mostly focussed on learning the basics, so far.."

'_Nothing special he says.._', Kakashi smirked under his mask. '_Though I think these jutsus are relatively low level fuinjutsu, learning them and being able to use them in combat are completely different things… I wonder how many of our jonin or anbu are capable of such things._'

Naruto did not have to look at Sakura's surprised face, or Sasuke's annoyed face, to sense the tension in their little group. Not that he cared much about the opinion his teammates had.

"Well… I'd suggest we make a little schedule from now on", Kakashi said. "Every day we start at one in the afternoon, to do missions as a team. These missions will be easy ones in the beginning, seeing how you are all merely genin. I suggest you all spend your time in the morning wisely, and train yourselves hard. If you want any help on it, either ask me, or consult the central Konoha library.. With the clearance you guys have as genin, you can probably access most of the basic information."

"So.. That's individual work?", Sakura asked with a disappointed voice, while looking at Sasuke.

"If you guys want to become shinobi, you should be able to take care of yourself as well… Though most things are done as a group, your individual skill is very important as well. I won't lie, I expect discipline from you guys, because you ask me to take you seriously", Kakashi said on an even tone. "Or you can just mess up, and I'll treat you like kids. Your choice. Take today to plan out what you want to do, and meet me here at noon tomorrow, after we discuss your plans, we will take our first mission."

'_Or he just doesn't want to admit he is too lazy to teach us personally', _Naruto sighed, looking at the smoke his teacher left behind as he disappeared.

* * *

"How did your genin do?", Yuhi Kurenai asked, when Kakashi entered the room. Sarutobi Asuma and Mitarashi Anko looked up curiously, while the fifth jonin, Yamanaka Inoichi, only continued his grumbling.

"They passed my test", Kakashi shrugged.

"Genin who passed _your_ test?", Anko exclaimed. "Wow.. Impressive, considering your track record.."

"It's not as bad as yours, Anko..", Kakashi smirked from under his mask. "I take it you failed your team?"

"Of course", she smiled. "Those fools should even be happy I did.. Perhaps the worst team I saw in five years. Though, they endured longer than I had initially expected."

"We weren't very lucky, indeed", Inoichi sighed, seemingly depressed. "Perhaps the curriculum at the academy should be improved, if kids like them were able to pass…"

"Still, three teams made it, this year", Asuma remarked. "Though I have to admit my team does have quite some work to do, if it wants to function properly. Sorry Inoichi", he added when the blond jonin's head jerked up, "But you really spoiled your daughter too much. She's proud and bossy, and in combination with Choji, who lacks confidence in himself, and Shikamaru, who is as lazy as one can get, their teamwork is terrible at this point."

"I could've told you that in advance", Kurenai smiled. "I followed that class for a day, when Hokage-sama ordered me to take charge of one of the new genin-squads.."

"You didn't want it, and still did not fail them. You are too nice, as always", Anko laughed.

"Well, I have my doubts on this team, but they are good kids. My only worry is that they lack the skills for when they get in a real fight.. But as trackers or scouts, they will be great", Kurenai replied with some pride.

"An Inuzuka, a Hyuga, and an Aburame…", Inoichi said with noticeable envy in his voice. "Though I guess you would be right. Imagine that team if the Uchiha boy was in it… That would certainly increase their fighting ability!"

"Yeah, how did the boy do, Kakashi?", Anko asked. "He was the top of his class, after all."

Kakashi shrugged. "He did pretty well, for a genin. Not as exceptional as his brother was at his age, but with his lineage, he should become one of Konoha's strongest shinobi in a few years or so."

"That good?", Asuma whistled. "Though of course it is unfair to compare him to Itachi…"

"Yeah", Kakashi sighed. "I worked with him when he just joined the anbu… I never saw anyone with such talent.. Though perhaps.."

"What's wrong?", Inoichi asked when the silver haired jonin remained silent. "Don't tell me you have another genin in your team with such talent?", he laughed. "I mean, if you look at the academy results, the Haruno excelled only in the theoretical tests, while the Uzumaki… Well, we all know…"

The others nodded, and remained silent. Anko even scowled, thinking back of the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha.

"He scored average on the academy", Kakashi said, somewhat surprised by the others. "But he caught me off guard when I tried to test him."

"What?"

"What test did you do?", Kurenai asked.

"The usual, they had to get the two bells I carried. But perhaps I underestimated them", Kakashi admitted. "Sasuke is considered a genius, and he only came close to catching one bell. Which was rather good. But Naruto.. Naruto must have somehow hidden his skill, next time I face him I'd better use my sharingan…"

Asuma whistled, and the others seemed equally impressed. They all knew Kakashi's reputation, and a mere genin pulling off such a feat was quite impressive. Besides, it was supposed to be an _impossible _test. A genin forcing Kakashi to use the sharingan..

"Did he use.. You know, _it's _chakra?", Anko asked, with a hint of fear.

"No, he never needed it", Kakashi smiled. "And I hope he never will. No, he used fuinjutsu, and hid himself from me, while I tried to attack a kage bunshin of his."

"Kage bunshin?!", Asuma exclaimed. "Damn.. How does a kid like him.."

"I don't know how he learned that, ask your father", Kakashi replied dryly. "But with Naruto's reserves, it was to be expected that he would never get the chance to grow up like the other kids. Unlike us, who grew up in a time of war, none of those kids had to struggle like Naruto had to. Well, Sasuke perhaps.. I admit I am curious to see how those two will grow."

"They did not seem very compatible", Kurenai remarked. "I mean, I saw how the Haruno acted.. And Naruto and Sasuke seemed pretty much the opposite of each other. The Uchiha wasn't exactly subtle with his sneers against Naruto, even though Naruto simply ignored him.."

Kakashi nodded, but did not want to repeat his hesitation regarding the decision that the hokage made. "It'll be fine", he answered nonchalantly. "So everyone's curiosity is satisfied? Where is Genma, by the way?"

"He failed his team in what must be an all-time record", Anko laughed. "The bastard was even faster than I was. He already got back to his regular duties though. Hey, why don't we stop by at Dangoya's?"

* * *

"Hey! Naruto!", Iruka shouted. "How are you doing", he added, when he caught up with the genin.

"Fine, Iruka-sensei", Naruto smiled. "And you?"

"Ahh.. Good, actually. Though the academy is a little quiet now you guys left", the chunin laughed. "Though, fewer classes also mean more spare time. Come on, I'll treat you some ramen, like always."

"Thanks sensei", Naruto smiled, quickly following his former teacher to Ichiraku's.

* * *

"So you guys train in your own time, and take missions in the afternoon", Iruka repeated. "So what are you planning to do?"

"Well, I got no shortage of work", Naruto admitted. "I mean, my clan's fuinjutsu is a bit difficult to learn."

"So I've heard", Iruka smiled. "There are some quite incredible rumours going around about you, Naruto."

"There are?", Naruto was a bit worried. Rumours regarding him usually were not good.

"Seems you managed to trick the infamous copy-ninja Kakashi", the man laughed, while Teuchi handed them their bowls.

The owner of Ichiraku's frowned. "Kakashi.. Isn't that the guy who recently stepped down from the position as leader of the anbu?"

"Kakashi-sensei was part of the anbu?", Naruto asked surprised.

"Hatake Kakashi is quite a famous jonin", Iruka smirked at the oblivious boy. "Tricking _him_ is quite a feat."

Teuchi laughed and congratulated his now famous customer, adding that the ramen was free for them today.

* * *

When Naruto ordered his fourth bowl, Iruka had to apologize. "Sorry, Naruto, but I have to go now, or I'll be late at the academy. And remember to keep variety in training, you also need to work on your taijutsu, right?"

"Yes sensei", Naruto smiled back, waving Iruka goodbye. No matter how people treated Naruto, Iruka had always been a sympathetic man. The only teacher who treated Naruto as an actual human being.

"You actually want to train?", an exhausted voice surprised him. Naruto was not used to people talking to him, as most people in Konoha tended to avoid him. And with his other sense, not many people were capable of sneaking up on him. "Aren't you.. Don't you live at Neji's place?"

Naruto looked at the brown-haired kunoichi who had just ordered something to eat. "Yeah, I live at the Hyuga's place", Naruto frowned. "Aren't you Neji's teammate? Tenten-san, if I recall correctly?"

"Thanks", the girl said when Teuchi gave her 'the usual'. "Yeah, my dame ish Denden, hungry, eat fisht", she spoke, while eating frantically. Naruto was somewhat surprised by her behavior, as if the kunoichi who had her hair in two buns had not eaten for days. Naruto shrugged, and attacked his own bowl, before his precious ramen would get cold.

"So, you plan to train on your own, Naruto-kun?", Tenten said after she finished her bowl in a time which impressed even Naruto.

"Yeah, that was what my sensei told me."

"Who is your sensei?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Kakashi! Where?", another voice startled them.

"Not here, Lee, just sit down", Tenten said somewhat annoyed. "You already finished your extra lap?"

Lee nodded enthusiastically and quickly ordered something to eat.

"You guys were training just now?", Naruto frowned.

"Yeah… Maito Gai is our sensei… And his morning exercise is hellish", Tenten groaned.

Lee blinked a few times, which Naruto found rather amusing due to the remarkably round eyes. "Gai-sensei makes us work hard, so that we can get stronger each day", he added with more than a little pride.

"I… See..", Naruto looked from the green-clad genin, who now attacked his food, to the exhausted kunoichi. So the other jonin trained their genin themselves. "What does he make you do, for this exercise?"

"Lots of push-ups, sit-ups, and running, a more of that sort of things", Tenten said. "And after all that we get two hours of sparring."

"Damn", Naruto whistled. "You guys make long days.."

"Well, Lee starts early. At seven, each day. I just join them at eight", Tenten admitted. "After four hours, we usually get something to eat in this area, before we join with Neji and do some missions. Neji trains at the Hyuga estate", she added.

"Yeah, I've seen", Naruto remarked. "He spends each morning with Hizashi-sama and seems to train pretty hard. I guess his juken requires another approach with training."

Tenten nodded. "That, and because Lee always takes the sparring too seriously."

"He started it", Lee looked up from his food.

"Neji certainly is not the most… Friendly… Person around", Naruto said with some sarcasm. "What did he do to you?"

"He told Lee that he was a failure. That is why Lee made it his goals to beat Neji."

"Yosh! I will beat Neji! And then he will see that hard work can beat any genius!"

Naruto smiled at the fiery genin. "They are certainly annoying, those geniuses. Got one in my team as well, and the arrogant bastard always thinks he is better than me." Lee nodded frantically, as if he fully understood Naruto's problem.

A heavily panting jonin joined them. "Ah, Lee, Tenten… There you are…"

"I told you, Gai-sensei", the kunoichi said dryly. "Doing even more laps than Lee is pointless." Gai quickly seemed to recover, as Teuchi gave him some food as well. Apparently, Teuchi was accustomed to this ritual, as he had already finished preparing the meal before the jonin got there.

"Naruto, why don't you join us in our morning training?", Tenten remarked, anxious to have someone 'normal' around her while spending the hours along the two training fanatics.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, that way, I would have someone around me who is still sane", Tenten pointed at Lee and Gai who looked surprised. "And there are some great stories about you going on. And seeing how you don't have anyware to train in the morning.."

"Ahh.. But.."

"That's a great idea, Tenten", Gai suddenly shouted, shaking Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. "I heard great things of you, that even my eternal rival was surprised by your skill! I would be honoured if you took your morning training with us! Yosh! That way, we can train as a three-man team as well!"

"Yosh!", Lee shouted, before the genin, in his enthusiasm, accidentally knocked over Gai's bowl of ramen.

"Lee, you fool!", Gai hit his student on his head. "A true youthful ninja should always control himself!"

"I'm sorry sensei", Lee cried.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Tenten facepalmed when she saw their usual antics. "Don't worry Naruto.. Just look away… They always do this", Tenten sighed when she saw Naruto's baffled look.

"Are… Are you sure this is alright?", Naruto said, not sure what to make of the near-identical duo.

"You live at the Hyuga place, right? I'll pick you up at tomorrow morning, ok?", Tenten smiled, ignoring her teammate and sensei.

* * *

"Why the disappointed look, Naruto-kun?", Gai asked loudly.

Naruto sat down, too tired to keep standing up. "I knew my stamina and speed were bad.. But this.."

"But you.. You just did the same things as we did, on your first try!", Tenten exclaimed.

"Perhaps, but much slower… And getting this tired in only a few hours like this… My condition really has deteriorated", Naruto panted. He had focussed to much on learning fuinjutsu, that his physical condition had gone down. '_Dumb, Haruki even warned me..'_

"That's not a very youthful thing to say, Naruto-kun", Lee frowned with his humongous brows.

"Indeed", Gai agreed, "It took Tenten and Lee a lot of training to reach this level.. You should be a little more proud, Naruto-kun!"

"Perhaps..", Naruto sighed.

"You know, why don't you join us more often?", Gai proposed. "You mentioned that you had other materials to learn as well, but training your taijutsu should also improve you chakra reserves and control."

Naruto frowned. "You wouldn't mind that?", he said surprised. "I mean.. Most people…"

"This training isn't fit for 'most people'", Tenten replied sarcastically. "Besides, wouldn't it beat training on your own?"

"I.. I guess", Naruto said softly, surprised that anyone would make him such an offer. "Perhaps, if you guys don't mind, I could join you another morning? Next week maybe?"

"Why don't you join us every other day?", Gai laughed at the surprised genin. "Besides, I heard something about kage bunshin! Those would be ideal for Tenten's target practice!"

* * *

**A/N:** Naruto and Tenten.. Interesting plotlines? There are reasons why Tenten is a little more friendly towards Naruto though. The connections to Neji and Kakashi are part of it, but so is the Konoha political system.. I'll explain that later!

Lee is just friendly towards anyone, and Gai is smart enough to look beyond the Kyuubi.

-Z-

PS: with some preparations, it's quite easy to publish chapters quickly. Please don't hate me when I slow down. But I do this deliberately: I've read my share of fanfics like this, which do not focus on a specific event, and it annoys me to no end when I start reading something and there are only one or two chapters out there. Thus, I prepared to publish a few chapters quickly.


	6. Cats and rocks

**Cats and rocks**

* * *

"What happened to you?", Sakura looked disapprovingly as Naruto came near. "And why are you late?"

"Training", Naruto sighed, wondering if that wasn't obvious already.

"Right..", Sasuke smirked like the sight of the dirt-covered Naruto was a big joke. "You could at least have cleaned yourself first."

"Either a shower or food. Chose food", Naruto grumbled, before sitting down. Naruto's expectation about Kakashi being late again came true. Not that he cared much, as he found it rather amusing to see Sasuke's annoyance. Naruto wondered if Sakura would ever realize that the object of her affections did not like to talk… Naruto quickly dozed off, enjoying the moment of peace after four hellish hours of training. He really understood why Tenten had been like that the day before. If you had to go through this every morning, and than still had to do missions with Gai and Lee around.. Naruto was not very surprised she had developed a more strick nature, with the need to continuously slow the green-clad duo down before they went out of control (again).

Naruto felt the warm sun, and the gentle breeze, and sighed. He just made it himself a bit comfortable.. Well deserved, he thought.

"Sorry about being late", Kakashi said, what had to be at least half an hour after.

"Good evening, sensei", Naruto said sarcastically, opening his eyes. "Just in time, our poor Sasuke-kun almost got a seizure from anger."

* * *

They each had described, briefly, how they planned to train themselves. Something at which Kakashi had made several additions, for instance at the theory Sakura had planned to study. Kakashi advised at least two hours of hard physical training each day, claiming that theory and knowledge alone were insufficient. He had frowned when Naruto had explained what Gai proposed.

"Quite.. Unusual for a jonin to approach another jonin's student", Kakashi remarked. "But I don't mind. Gai's taijutsu is probably the best in the whole of Konoha. If not the other countries as well. So I approve of your schedule, Naruto."

Though, Kakashi did not add that a large part of his surprise was due to the fact that Gai hardly ever accepted students, being rather secretive about his skills and training methods, despite his odd persona. _'Gai didn't just do this because of his rivalry with me… He must be convinced that Naruto has quite some potential in taijutsu if he decided to include him with his daily training.. If that's true, only genjutsu would be a weak spot for him. When you look at them, I guess Sasuke is more all-round in terms of talent, though not as exceptional as Naruto in several aspects.'_

"Good, then we start doing our missions today. Each day we will meet at one, in front of the Hokage's office.. Sakura?"

"Sensei, why don't we agree to meet at half past twelve?", Sakura suggested.

"That way, you are still more or less on time when you finally show up", Sasuke said, showing his lingering annoyance.

"Eh.. Well, that's fine as well", Kakashi replied sheepishly. "Erm.. As I was saying, we meet in front of the office building, and take missions each day. Now, I brought some communication devices along for you guys, take some time to get used to them so you can properly use them during the missions. Remember, communication is vital for teamwork, at least until you get used to each other to such a degree you don't need words anymore."

* * *

"Chasing cats.. Pulling weeds.. Collecting and disposing of garbage.. When do we get proper missions", Sasuke grumbled after they had just reported to the Hokage about their 'successful' weed disposal mission.

"Every genin is assigned D-rank missions until they are capable of handling the more difficult C-rank missions", Sarutobi Hiruzen remarked. "And until your sensei says you are ready for those more difficult missions, you will either do these missions, or quit being a shinobi", he added with a strict tone.

"A- S-sasuke-kun didn't mean it like that", Sakura quickly stuttered, trying to help her crush. Naruto just looked away, bored by his team as much he was by the missions. Right now, the morning trainings with Gai were more interesting than the actual missions.

Hiruzen smirked. "Well, _technically_ this is still a D-rank, but there have been some.. Unexpected troubles. Team eight encountered some unknown resistance while tracking down a creature that was harassing a nearby farm. Kurenai requested some backup to properly search the area, so team seven will head out and aid them."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama", Kakashi bowed after receiving the scroll with the mission's details, and left, followed by his students. But not before Naruto and Hiruzen exchanged thoughtful looks, whereby Hiruzen realized that Naruto was not taking his team very seriously.

* * *

Team seven had packed so it could spend the night outside Konoha. Because of the unknown nature of the threat that team eight had found, Kakashi had decided that they would set out as soon as possible. Luckily, team eight was not far from Konoha – thought it would have been a C-ranked mission if it had been outside of Konoha's protection.

Kakashi set the pace, quickly followed by the over-excited Sakura. Naruto wondered if her excitement was because she would spend night out near Sasuke, who didn't look too happy with the mission. Other than that, Naruto was rather bored. He had left a bunshin at the Hyuga estate with enough chakra to last two days, or so he estimated, so that he could still study some of his scrolls, warn Tenten he couldn't join training tomorrow, and help Haruki and Ako whenever needed.

'_Maybe I should just have sent a clone, and stayed home myself. To bad Kakashi-sensei can tell the difference between the bunshin and me.. I wonder how he figured that out'_, Naruto pondered, thinking back at when he had just sent a clone to do the mission, and Kakashi had responded quite annoyed that Naruto wasn't taking this seriously.

They finally arrived at the camp set up by team eight, who did not seem very surprised by their arrival. Naruto imagined that Kiba's keen senses and Hinata's eyes would have spotted them long ago.

"Greeting Kakashi-sempai", Kurenai spoke. "We've prepared food for you and your team."

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun?", Hinata spoke up, when Naruto was standing on the edge of their camp, staring into the darkness of night. They were already at a dense forest, but at night time. Naruto thought it was a beautiful silence. Much better than in a town.

"Hinata-sama?", Naruto shook up from his thoughts.

"Are you… Did you like dinner?", she asked shyly.

"Dinner? Yeah, dinner was great! Not like Ichiraku's, but a lot better than I had expected from camping outdoors", Naruto smiled at the Hyuga heir, who was glad that it was dark, concealing her blush.

"T-Thank y-you", she tried not to stutter.

"So.. There is something out there that killed cattle, and it is somehow capable of evading you guys?"

"Y-Yes..", Hinata looked down. "There is no scent.. So Kiba-kun can't track it. Nor Shino-kun.. Who has not yet planted any of his kikai on it.. And I.. I…"

Naruto looked at the face of the sad girl, who seemed to be disappointed in herself. "So what information did you guys find?"

"Err.. The tracks looked like those made by cats.. Or one cat.. Only, it is too big. And a cat doesn't eat an entire goat", Hinata frowned. "And bigger cat-like creatures like lions shouldn't be around here.."

"I see..", Naruto nodded. '_Perhaps someone left fake tracks.. No, these guys are far too good to fall for that.. Perhaps someone who used the henge no jutsu? No… Why would a shinobi eat goat? Raw?', _Naruto mused. _'Perhaps it really is some kind of monstrous cat.. But that would mean that, with nothing else around, I should be able to track it down because of its intent to kill..'_

"Thanks, Hinata-sama. Let's go back to camp.. It's been a long day", Naruto faked a yawn.

Hinata nodded, and for some reason Naruto could not fathom, she suddenly started blushing so furiously that she could see it, despite there being very little light to see.

* * *

Hinata had bad luck, and drew the second shift of guard duty. The fact that absolutely nothing happened made it quite the boring task. Luckily, Sakura took over after two hours had passed. But before Hinata could fall asleep in her tent, she heard something.

"Byakugan", she whispered, not wanting to wake Kurenai, who she shared her tent with. '_Naruto-kun? What is he doing?',_ she thought when she spotted him leaving camp.

Following Naruto at some distance, Hinata wondered how the boy could see where he was going. Moreover, how it could be that he walked so purposefully towards his goal. Team eight had scouted the entire area several times now, during the last few days, but found nothing. '_How could Naruto-kun find sense something here?_'

* * *

'_It must be around here.. I can feel it'_, Naruto thought. '_It's.. Left!'_

He turned towards his target. But whatever the creature was, despite the weak scent of malice Naruto could detect, it seemed to keep away from him. It watched him.

"Kuchiose no jutsu", Naruto whispered.

In a puff of smoke a small toad appeared. "What the… What moron summons me in the middle of night? Naruto? You crazy..", Gamakichi exclaimed, while Naruto frowned seeing the strange nightcap that the toad wore.

"Hush", Naruto whispered. "Something is near. And it seems unusual to me, not a regular animal at least.. Can you figure out what kind of creature it is?"

"Quite smart, for a human", something laughed sarcastically. "Tell me, how did you find me? Who or what are you?"

"Everyone has some evil", Naruto said towards the figure that spoke from the dark. It was a feminine voice… But clearly not human.

"So you can sense evil? Hmm.. Interesting.. Very interesting… I just went out to hunt, that gave me away, I guess.. But I never heard of any of you two-legs who could do that. And you can summon the toads from mount Myoboku too… Indeed you are an intriguing boy.."

"So who are you, and why did you attack the animals in this area?", Naruto asked, curious how the voice knew of Gamakichi.

"Sounds like one of the Bakeneko tribe", Kichi added. "Rather dangerous folk.. They like to play with their food…"

"That is a good guess", the voice replied. A large black and white cat stepped forward from behind a tree, and in the moonlight Naruto's sharp eyes saw how much larger it was. The creature was about five foot long, and had an unusually long tail. Its fur was pitch black, apart from a few while spots on its belly, and the right front leg which also was pure white.

"Bakaneko?", Naruto misheard.

"Bakeneko, you deaf fool", Gamakichi scolded him. The toad had jumped on top of Naruto's head as soon as the cat revealed itself. "A tribe of large cats, they can grow old and possess a basic level of control over their chakra. Not the most renowned species, but they have rather specific contracts between an individual of their clan and their summoner."

"Too specific", the cat sighed. "The idiot who summoned me has died, and in my inexperience I had not made a condition in the contract that the contract would end upon his death… So I became an oath breaker, an outcast amongst my clan."

"An outcast? Seriously?", Naruto frowned. "So if I die, 'Kichi would.."

"No", Gamakichi spoke up. "We toads have a different contract.. But like I said, they make contracts on an individual basis, while we have the same contract for everyone who we allow to summon us. Those specific contracts also have downsides."

"So they are indeed baka", Naruto smirked. "Well fine, I understand your position, but why are you raiding this area? And how should I call you, anyway?"

The cat tilted it's head, as if it became curious because of what Naruto said. "Unexpected.. Humans usually treat us summoned beings.. Differently."

"I am not really human anyway", Naruto shrugged. "But you did not answer my question."

"I see…", the cat said on a thoughtful tone. "When I sensed a great danger approach, I was afraid my time had come… Though I guess admiration is more fitting than fear. Alright, I will tell you."

The cat stepped forward, until it was barely a meter away from Naruto.

* * *

Hinata stopped her chase, and hid behind a nearby tree. Naruto was talking with.. Something. She saw three different patterns of chakra, one being Naruto, and the smaller one being identical to the toad she once saw him summon. But the third pattern was strange. Nearly concealed, even to her byakugan. And it was quite a large creature.

'_Naruto-kun_', the shy girl thought, afraid he was in danger, but not sure if he needed her help. If he had raised his chakra, she would have jumped in without hesitation. But Naruto was too relaxed.

* * *

"My name is Chie", the cat spoke. "Like the toad said, I am one of the bakeneko tribe. Or, I used to be… To answer your question, I killed and ate several of those weak four-leg-horn-heads because I was hungry. I needed to consume meat, to keep up the large form I need to survive out her, on my own."

"Chie", Naruto mused. '_Means wisdom.. I wonder if it is a name she chose, or got from her clan. She sounds proud enough for the first..'_

"So, you were an outcast and killed your prey in order to survive… And you have a smaller form?"

"Yes", Chie said softly. "I am only two decades old, so I am still rather small."

"Seriously?", Naruto exclaimed. "You're nearly twice my age?"

"Two-legs grow quicker", Chie said with an amused voice. "Perhaps that is why their brain is so underdeveloped? But what do you plan to do, abnormal-two-legs-boy?"

"Name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. My mission was to stop whatever killed that farmer's cattle. It did not specify how we were supposed to stop you… And as a fellow outcast, I do not intend to hurt you either."

Naruto scratched his chin. "Kichi, if I remember correctly, I cannot sign more contracts, right? So I wouldn't be able to send her home?"

"Only the toad contract", Gamakichi admitted. "I believe signing another contract is a violation of your contract with us."

"You would be willing to sign a contract, with me? An oath breaker?", Chie asked, not managing to contain her surprise.

"I am sorry Chie, but I cannot break my contract with the toads. I gave them my word", Naruto admitted. "And I do not take back my word… But I can do something else. How big are you normally?"

"That's a very rude question to ask a woman", Chie chuckled. "About the same size as those pathetic cats the two-legs keep around their houses."

"So how would you like to live at my place?", Naruto suggested. "I know it is not your own home, but at least it should be better than living out here, right?"

Chie blinked and looked from Naruto's face up to Gamakichi.

"Hey, don't look at me. I am no dinner", the toad quickly croaked.

"Toads are not on my menu anyway, much too slimy", Chie joked. "But is this guy serious?"

"Naruto? He's an oddball, but he is dependable."

"I see… But why would he…"

"Listen", Naruto urged. "You already said you noticed something is odd about me, right? That is why the other humans treat me like I am scum. So how could I abandon you here? But if you are not willing to.."

"No", Chie cut him off. "I will accept. I am not as foolish and short-sighted as you two-legs are. Well, the ordinary two-legs."

Chie seemed to shrink drastically. "This is my real form", she said. "If you are willing to accept my, I shall honour you as I did my master, despite the absence of contracts, Naruto-sama"

"Please, no honorifics", Naruto smiled at the now small cat. Chie had shrunk down to a cat only a little bigger than the cats Naruto had seen in Konoha, only her tail was nearly double the length of a normal cat. Not to mention, regular cats did not talk back. "If you truly want to honour me, you have to treat me like a friend."

"As you command, Naruto-sama."

"Chie…"

"Just joking", the cat laughed mischievously.

"So, eh… I can go now?", Gamakichi yawned. "Pops will go mad if I sleep during my lessons tomorrow."

"Sure, Kichi. Thanks for the help, and sleep well", Naruto thanked the toad before it went back to mount Myoboku. "Shall we go back to camp as well, Chie-chan?"

"Calling a female twice your age 'chan'?", Chie started. "Oh right.. You are joking too. You two-legs and your strange faces. Though I have to admit, your whiskers make it easier to understand you. I never knew two-legs had them."

"They don't", Naruto said as he turned around. "I told you; I am a bit different."

Chie nodded and jumped on Naruto's shoulder, using her long tail to hold onto him. "This will go faster.. Oh, and there is another two-legs nearby. Sneaking up on us, actually. Quite rude.."

* * *

As Naruto stood there, Hinata was torn. He had sneaked away from their camp, so he obviously wanted to do this on his own. But was rather curious what he and the creature were talking about.

'_But Naruto-kun has sharp senses.. He will notice me.. What just happened?_', Hinata thought as the creature suddenly shrunk down.

Hinata tried to get closer, as quiet as she possible could. It took her a moment of hesitation before her curiosity got the better of her shyness.

"Hinata-sama?", Naruto suddenly spoke up from behind her.

The cat on Naruto's shoulder seemed to laugh when Hinata jumped nearly a meter up, with a loud 'eeek'. "Na-Naruto- k-kun? How.."

"Shunshin no jutsu", Naruto shrugged. "Why were you following me, weren't you on guard duty?"

"Err… S-Sakura-san relieved me. I-I saw y-you walk a-away, N-Naruto-kun."

"How much did you hear?"

"She was too far away to listen", the cat spoke. Hinata watched with an open mouth at the cat. "What? You two-legs have such big heads, yet your ears hear so little… And would you stop looking at me like that, white-eyed-two-leg?", the cat sighed.

"Ehm.. Hinata-sama, meet Chie-chan. Chie-chan, Hinata-sama", Naruto introduced them to each other. "Chie was the one who we were after, but it was all a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Either you stop with that 'chan', or I _will_ put my claws in your face", Chie said with some annoyance.

"Proud bastard", Naruto smirked.

"A t-talking… Cat?"

"No a bakaneko OW", Naruto said when Chie extended her claws for a moment. Not that Naruto minded much, as the small punctures healed nearly instantly. "Bakeneko", he smirked. "She was in trouble when the guy who had summoned her died. She had to survive out here, so that's why she attacked the cattle. She was just hungry.. I'm going to take her with us. Ako-san loves cats, so she won't mind!"

"Ako-san?", Chie asked curiously.

"You'll meet her soon enough", Naruto explained. "Though I should warn you not to be rude to her.. That would be rather painful", Naruto laughed. "Now, shall we go back to our camp? I really want to get some sleep now."

* * *

"What do you mean, the mission is over?", Kakashi blinked with his visible eye, after Naruto woke everyone up in the morning. He had the last shift with keeping guard.

"Chie, everyone. Everyone, Chie", Naruto said dryly to the cat next to him.

"Have completely lost it?", Sakura exclaimed. "What are you thinking, you moron?"

"I see pinky-two-leg has quite the big mouth. Might it be because she wants to overcompensate for her lack of skill?", Chie remarked sarcastically.

"Sensei… What…", Kiba started.

"Chie is one of the Bakeneko tribe, summoned here and after the guy who summoned her died, she was trapped. She was the one who ate the cattle, because she was hungry abd wanted to survive", Naruto monotonously repeated the story. "I convinced her to come along with us, and offered her to stay at my place. So that is why I said that our mission was done."

"I… See…", Kurenai frowned. "But how did Chie kill those goats? And managed to avoid capture? How did you find her?"

"I can shapeshift, red-eyed-two-leg", Chie replied. "And in my larger form, killing those four-leg-horn-heads is simple." Chie demonstrated this by shortly changing into her 'adult' form, shocking most of the shinobi present. Only Naruto had seen it before, and Hinata knew to some degree what to expect. But especially Akamaru was badly shaken, to see a cat of his own size suddenly grow like that..

"Chie-san indeed has chakra, and chakra control", Hinata confirmed, blushing when the other turned their attention to her. "I saw her, after Naruto found her, last night."

"What were you two doing out in the woods, in the middle of night?", Shino frowned.

"I heard something", Naruto shrugged, ignoring Hinata's stuttered protest. "So I went looking and found Chie."

Kakashi looked sharply at his genin. "I see.. But do not wander of on your own at night, Naruto. Not without warning someone else."

"Did one-eyed-two-leg think I would attack Naruto-sama?", Chie tilted her head, making her surprise obvious to the others.

"But Akamaru nor I can smell.. It", Kiba frowned.

"Did you think I would allow mere dog to hunt me down?', Chie scoffed. "Or those insects cloaky over there tried to use to locate me? Did you think I didn't smell your chakra on them? I am not as stupid as you two-legs are."

Chie jumped on Naruto's shoulder, using her long tail in order to keep her balance again. "Why don't you listen to whisker-two-leg, and go home. I admit I am rather curious to see my new home."

The others looked at each other. Kiba's annoyance was obvious, because of by the way Chie looked down on dogs. Shino frowned a bit because of the nickname 'cloaky'. "Ugh.. Let's go then", Sasuke broke the silence.

"Grumpy-two-leg", Chie said sarcastically, laughing when she saw Sasuke twitch his face a little.

"Hmm let's go to that farmer, and tell him we completed the mission", Kakashi sighed. _'If Naruto trusts her.. The report Hokage-sama gave me mentioned that he could sense the evil in others. And it all fits perfectly with what Kurenai told yesterday..'_

"Agreed", Kurenai nodded. "And then go home..", she rubbed her head, not completely understanding the situation. '_If Kakashi believes the boy_', she thought, remembering the mistrustful nature of the jonin.

And so the teams returned home, with Naruto almost wearing the cat like some kind of furry scarf around his neck. '_Pinky-two-leg…'_, the boy smirked to himself. _'Chie surely picks funny nicknames.'_

* * *

Kakashi was a bit more hopeful a few weeks later. Though D-rank missions could hardly be called a challenge, they did provide the opportunity to train teamwork. Sakura excelled because she knew each and every tactic or strategy which she had learned at the academy. Sasuke proved to be equally intelligent, though more silent. And his growth was remarkable.

Of course, it was no secret why Sasuke was so motivated. Naruto's strength and growth continued to surprise him. Though he imagined part of Naruto's growth was due to Gai's training regime, Kakashi also knew jinchuriki were supposed to be capable of wielding unimaginable amounts of chakra. And he had hidden most of his talent before now. '_But for a twelve year old boy to reach this level..',_ Kakashi worried.

Kakashi realized that it would be difficult to keep control over such power. Kakashi wondered if the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto would be healthy on the long term, because it seemed it would only end up in frustration for one person. Though, Kakashi was happy Naruto left Chie at home. The mischievous cat only created more tension in the team with her sarcastic remarks. It seemed to like to annoy and embarrass both Sasuke and Sakura.

* * *

"Congratulations, you caught the cat _again_", a huge voice remarked sarcastically.

"Stay out of my head", Naruto hissed back. "Why don't you ever shut up?" For a long time now, Naruto was troubled by sounds only he could hear. Recently, it had gotten clear enough to hear its voice. And at times, the Kyuubi no Kitsune seemed to enjoy dragging Naruto towards the sewers he was trapped in, inside Naruto's own mind.

"Let's see.. You have all the great missions, with those incredible teammates of your, who never trust you. And yes, how could I forget that sensei whose fear of you can easily be sensed. They only respect you because of strength. _My strength",_ the monster added pointedly.

"I knew how people act before team 7. I did not expect anything else, so shut you damn mouth you darn fox!"

The Kyuubi smiled at Naruto's anger, "_good! Only a little while more before he will start to crack. That blond idiot and his seal, too bad I already killed him. I should have let him suffer first."_

* * *

Naruto sighed in relief, finally the fox had retreated. He saw Kakashi look at him. "Everything alright Naruto?" the jonin asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yeah, just a bit tired."

"All right team, todays mission will be removing those boulders over there. They broke of the mountainside last week, and the villagers want to open this road again." Kakashi pointed at the tiny village which they could see in the distance. This mountain path had been the quickest way to reach Konoha. The rockslide made a long detour necessary.

"Seems like the villagers already removed the smaller rocks", Sakura said. "But how are we supposed to get rid of that huge one?

Kakashi shrugged, "not really my problem, you guys wanted a mission outside the village, the Hokage gave me this one". Of course, Sakura could not argue against this, as it was Sasuke who asked for it.

As she had predicted, team 7 was able to remove all the rocks, except the largest one. Sasuke's katon was pointless, and so were Naruto's jutsus. Sakura tried frantically to calculate whether a leverage effect could be a solution, but there was not enough space. Nor any trees or anything they could use.

Naruto sighed. Kakashi didn't seem willing to step up, and Naruto only knew one way to remove the boulder. Question was, which one was strong enough to do the trick, but also willing to do the job?

Naruto sighed. "Could you guys step back please?"

"Why?" Sasuke asked with an annoyed tone.

"Well, just stay there if you want to get hit, mister grumpy-two-leg", Naruto made his impatience clear to all. Sasuke had come to hate that nickname more than anything.

Just before he finished his hand seals, his teammates managed to bail. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu", he exclaimed, to the great shock of Kakashi.

A humongous toad appeared where Naruto was just a moment ago. His magenta-coloured skin was covered with black markings. His black kimono was big enough to cover most buildings in Konoha. Wielding an enormous spear fork covered with spikes, the sasumata, and equally large shield, the toad was a terrifying creature to see.

"What the…", Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. '_How? No matter what I do, why does he always stay so damn far away? Why is that idiot so strong? _I _am the genius, not he! He was just a loner with average scores, a _nobody_.'_

For once, Sakura failed to notice Sasuke's expression. The shock was too great. "How.."

"Hiya Gamaken", Naruto spoke, revealing to the others that he was standing on top of the toad's head. "Sorry to disturb you, but we had a little obstacle on our road. And since you spoke of more training.."

The massive toad's voice rumbled. "I am still too clumsy and weak. Why didn't you call Gamabunta?"

"Hmm. Gamakichi told me you liked target practice. But if you don't wanna.."

"Fine, fine. That little tadpole and his big mouth", the toad grumbled. Naruto chuckled, knowing that despite his size, Ken was very shy. Always doubting his own strength, and hesitant to train near others. Strangely, Ken's behavior reminded Naruto of Hinata's shyness, and like how she recently tried to talk to him more and more. Something which Chie found rather funny, though she would never tell Naruto why.

The boy paled at the idea of the enormous toad fainting while he stood on top of head. Quickly jumping down, Naruto wished Gamaken fun, and returned to his shocked teammates.

"How did you.." Kakashi started, before being interrupted by the explosive sound of the toad's weapon bashing into the rock. "How did you summon him, Naruto?"

"What do you mean? I signed the contract, so why shouldn't I be able to?" the teen replied in light surprise.

"As far as I recall, only Jiraiya-sama is capable..", Kakashi this time cut himself off, as he realized something. "So it was Jiraiya-sama who taught you fuinjutsu?"

"He gave the means to learn it, yes. And he made me sign the contract. And promise me to keep silent about it as well, unless it would endanger the success of a mission. And I guess we would've failed the mission if I hadn't summoned Ken", Naruto added, while noticing Gamaken's third strike had left a crack in the boulder. The fourth hit would probably split it. "Or least it would've been boringly long. I could've blown up the area, but that would only have made things worse."

Sakura and Sasuke were baffled. The history books they had to study at the academy spoke highly of the three 'sannin', as the team in which Jiraiya had belonged to became known. The hokage's students, each as strong as any kage, became legends both in and outside Konohagakure.

The fact that such a legendary person had trained Naruto, only enraged Sasuke more. No wonder he was stronger. If _he_ had such a trainer, he would easily surpass the runt.

Noticing the looks of the others, Naruto felt a spike of anger. "Hey, could you guys please stop looking at me like that?"

Not that the others could reply. The bounder had by split apart in a thunderous sound, and Gamaken cheerfully continued to smash the remains so the humans could handle them. "Well, I'll leave these pebbles to you", he croaked, "Thanks for the fun, Naruto."

"No probs, say hi to Kichi and Fukasaku-sama!"

Sakura was a bit confused at how friendly Naruto was to the toad, she always thought he was too silent and too much of a loner. She wondered how he really was. _'Between Sasuke and Naruto, I really am useless_', she thought bitterly, while sighing deeply. '_They always do everything while I just stand here.. Watching at their back, looking from a distance as they complete our missions.'_

Kakashi knew he had a _lot_ to discuss with his employer. "Well then.. Let's clear the road, and collect our pay." At this rate, he knew Hiruzen would give them a C-rank mission soon.

* * *

With Kakashi reporting to the Hokage, the members of team seven were walking back through the main street. Sakura had asked Sasuke out on a date, but to Naruto's amusement he had bluntly refused. Not that it even rattled the girl's determination. Naruto had come to feel some admiration for her stubborn resolve, even though he found her affects itself rather childish. At least, she had never given Naruto the impression to really know anything about Sasuke. Apart from the ideal image she had of him. Naruto knew very well that Sasuke hid most of his real emotions, and that he wore as mask just like Naruto did.. But apparently, Sakura was not aware of that.

Not that Naruto could blame the girl for it, as she never really had much trouble in her life. Her parents were good to her, and she had most of her family alive. It was a benefit that he clan was not very famous, and the majority of them were merchants and shop owners, rather than shinobi. It was not to be expected of someone of their age to understand a trauma which Sasuke had experienced. Naruto was not even sure if he really understood it himself.

"Naruto!", an enthusiastic voice rang through the street. Naruto looked back and saw Rock Lee charging towards them. With a more composed Tenten following him. "Where have you been, you missed a most youthful training this morning! Sensei even tested us if we could open the.."

Tenten bashed him on the head, and as usual she was not holding back anything. Sakura looked a bit worried at the dazed and confused green-clad genin. "Lee, do you remember what Gai-sensei told us?", Tenten sighed. "Use that brain of yours for once."

"Well, with you knocking him out all of the time, it wouldn't surprise me if his brains got damaged", Naruto smirked. "Sorry for not showing up today guys, we had a mission", he gestured at Sasuke and Sakura.

"Ah, you must be Naruto's teammates", Tenten smiled, keeping her eye on Sasuke for a moment. "I'm Tenten, and this idiot is Rock Lee. Naruto often trains with us during the morning. Even though we.. Oh no.. Not again.. Lee!"

Lee's eyes were fixed on Sakura, who seemed uncomfortable under his gaze. Lee walked up to her, and Sakura tried not to back away. "Hi.. My name is Rock Lee. So yours is Sakura.. Let's go out together! I'll protect you 'til I die!"

This seemed to be the last thing Sakura ever expected. "No.. Way… You're lame…"

Sasuke chuckled. Naruto suspected that the Uchiha saw the irony of her response, while she behaved virtually the same around Sasuke. Like Sakura, Lee's disappointment also was short-lived, and the fire in his eyes indicated he was determined and would not give up.

"Lee isn't lame, Sakura", Naruto tried not to smile too much. "He's probably on his way to become the leaf's taijutsu master, just like Gai-sensei. Though, I admit he has funny brows", he couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "No offence, bushy brow.."

"None taken", Lee frowned a bit. "But I'm far from being as good as Gai-sensei is!"

"You won't say.. Seems like that freakish stamina of yours is getting close of that of Gai-sensei", Naruto frowned. "Seriously, those two are monsters..", he added, looking at Sasuke and Sakura. Lee looked quite uncomfortable, not being used to receive compliments.

Tenten bended over to pet a cat that walked up to her. "Two-legs, Ako-sama asks you to help her with the groceries", it suddenly spoke up. "You're back, so I take it your mission is over?", she continued, ignoring the screaming Tenten, and Sasuke who scowled upon seeing the cat again. For some reason, Sakura saw the bow tightening his fist around a kunai.

"No, mission is done", Naruto replied on a casual tone, as if talking cats were completely normal. "I'll be right there, want a lift?"

"No thanks, I think I'll wander around for a bit. If I don't move around enough I have to get on a diet just like pinky-two-leg", Chie added with a mocking tone. "Not that Grumpy would notice", she added before running off.

"That.. Damned creature", Sasuke gritted his teeth, turned around, and also walked away. "See you guys tomorrow", he grunted, not looking back.

Of course, with Sasuke walking away, it was easy to predict that Sakura would quickly follow. And she did. "Nice team, right?", Naruto remarked, the sarcasm being understood by Tenten, but not by Lee, who nodded while looking at Sakura. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow, at least, if I don't have any mission that takes me outside Konoha again", Naruto sighed. "Kakashi-sensei muttered something about C-rank missions.. Well, anything beats these boring D-ranks.."

"Traveling is fun", Tenten smiled. "You'll see all kinds of strange places they never teach you about on the academy!"

Naruto shrugged. "Perhaps.. Still don't want to trade Neji for me?"

Tenten blushed a bit, while Lee looked torn. "Sorry, but Gai-sensei told me that transfers between team are very unusual", Lee spoke up.

* * *

"I see.." Hiruzen pondered, after hearing Kakashi's story. "Jiraiya mentioned teaching Naruto, but apparently he forgot to mention the contract. I honestly believed that the Bakeneko had become Naruto's summon, but it seems things are not that simple."

"Hokage-sama, is this contract this.."

"Along with the slugs and snakes, the toads belong to the three most powerful summonable species. It is said that these three species hold secrets handed down to them from the time of the Sage of the Six Paths himself. That, in turn, also means that they do not allow many people to sign the contract.."

Kakashi was impressed, especially because he noticed the look of relief on the old man's face.

"It seems like your students grow quickly, Kakashi. I have heard some good stories about Sasuke's development. I guess I should not give you any more D-ranks now. Let's see", Hiruzen said, as he rummaged through the box with files.

"Ah, here it is. This one is an escort mission to the land of waves. A bridge builder scared of bandits. Should not be too difficult, I think. But be careful with Naruto, even though I think it is unlikely, it might be a possiblity that the other nations want to capture Konoha's jinchuriki. Though I doubt most would want to risk upsetting the balance between the villages, Kumo already has two fully trained jinchuriki, they might want to exploit that.."

* * *

"Impressive, Sakura", Ino said happily when Sakura told her the news. "You really are lucky with such a strong team, aren't you?"

"Well.. Maybe", Sakura wasn't sure what she had to say to her friend. They hadn't spoken for a while, as both decided not to bring up Sasuke when they were just with the two of them. Especially now that she had been lucky with her team, while Ino was not. "Kakashi-sensei is definitely strong, but doesn't seem very interested at all… We both know Sasuke-kun is great. He definitely is the strongest and most talented of our class. But Naruto.. Something is odd about him."

"Naruto?", Ino frowned. "That loner? He never ever speaks to other if he doesn't have to, and distances himself from all the other whenever he can. In all those years, I never really figured him out. That was quite frustrating, actually. Even Hinata wouldn't tell me anything about him!"

"I know", Sakura admitted. "Things aren't any different during missions. He just… He doesn't care, and everything just seems to annoying to him."

"I know that.. You should hear Shikamaru talk.."

"Not like Shikamaru", Sakura smiled softly thinking of their lazy classmate. "Naruto is absolutely not lazy. He just seems to be bothered to be around other people. So he never really takes the initative during our missions, only if we cannot figure out how to do it. I mean… "

"I heard rumors that he hid his abilities during the academy", Ino revealed. "I thought they were nonsense. I mean, we're talking about Naruto! How could he defeat someone like the famous Kakashi?"

"Those rumors are very real", Sakura sighed. "If I have to be honest, I suspect that Naruto is even stronger than Sasuke-kun is right now."

"What? How can you.."

"You talked about how lucky we were with Kakashi-sensei", the pink haired girl cut off her friend. "Well, Naruto just caught him off guard while Kakashi-sensei wanted to test us on our first day. And I think he was not even serious either.. Well Kakashi-sensei also said he was hold back, but still.."

Ino whistled. "But eh… How is it, to be around Sasuke-kun every day?", she decided to switch to the very subject that she was so curious about. "Did you learn anything new about him? And don't you dare to keep him all to yourself, you forehead!"

* * *

**A/N:** and then Chie came into our little story. Don't worry, I'm not a big fan of people adding new character into a story, and giving them big roles. Though, she will get a function in the story. But irony now demanded that Sasuke, who was from a cat-loving clan if I have to believe the anime (filler, but still), had to get pestered by a little kitty. I was actually inspired to write her when I saw my neighbour's cat, which is extremely lazy but still has an incredible talent to annoy people.

And darn.. This morning I had said to myself: I publish the next part once I reach a 1.000 views, I thought that would be tomorrow or something.. Never imagined things to go this fast, approaching 1.100 views already.. ^^

But this is all for today. I'll post a shorter chapter tomorrow, but that one won't be very seriously. A little intermission, before we set off with our friendly bridge builder. For those worrying: I will start with the canon situation but things _will_ be changing for team seven...

-Z-

PS: before you think Naruto acts too much out of character, his hatred is aimed at humans, not animals. So his behaviour towards frogs, for instance, is somewhat different.

PPS: I did not change the fact that Naruto joined team 7 in this fanfic, but his reasons are different. He may not be the deadlast, like in the manga, but right now the Kyuubi poses more of a threat than it did in the manga. That is why Kakashi is needed.


	7. A busy kitten

**A busy kitten…**

* * *

_A few sidestories. So please don't be disappointed that this isn't a real chapter! And yes, I still do not own Naruto, etc, etc..  
_

_**Feathers **_

Sasuke crossed the street with an even greater scowl than he usually had. He looked behind him.. Yes.. '_She doesn't stop when I simply ignore her, does she_', he sighed. '_Damn this.. Why can't they just leave me alone? Or is it a national hunt-the-uchiha-day?'_

He walked into a back alley, next to the shop where he wanted to buy some fresh vegetables. "Why don't you show yourself?"

* * *

'_Darn.. Is he already tired of it? Pity, I would have enjoyed to continue the hunt a bit longer_', she thought, looking down from her hiding place.

Graciously, she jumped down. She smirked when she was his look. "Don't be so mad, Sasuke-kun.."

"Quit that", he growled, not in the mood to be fooled around with any longer. "Why are you chasing me, you feline?"

"But Sasuke-kun..", she said with her most innocent voice. "How could I not chase you?"

"Quit your games!", he demanded. "Did he put you up to this?"

"Of course not, silly", she purred. "But you should have known.."

"Known what?"

"It's that time of the year", she said nonchalantly.

"Spill it, or I swear to God, I will kill you", he said with a threatening voice.

"Oh dear… That intent of your makes this game even more fun", she chuckled. "Have you ever seen you own hair from behind, though?"

"What do you have against my hair?"

She chuckled. The boy fell right into her trap. Just as planned… "It resembles something, if you look at it from a certain angle.. And in this time, it is simply irresistible!"

"What?!", he growled.

"Duck hunting season opened recently", Chie laughed, quickly jumping away.

Before he had the time to summon his rage, all he could see was the tip of her long tail.

"Damned cat", he mumbled."

* * *

Sasuke slouched as he walked back home. D-rank missions were boring. Only think more boring was a D-rank mission with his team. Sakura never gave up trying to ask him for dates, which annoyed Sasuke a bit. Obviously, the girl was very smart. And yet, she remained so very dense whenever she saw him. The blond brat was not much better. Silent and distant as always, Naruto had hardly exerted himself during the mission. As if he tried to beat Kakashi in a duel concerning who showed the least interest in team 7..

'_At least it's over now.. Just get some dinner and then I can return to my real training. Teamwork nonsense..'_, Sasuke thought as he walked up to the door of his apartment. '_What's that noise?'_, he wondered.

It seemed like there was someone inside. Multiple people, by the sounds of it. Sasuke drew a kunai, wondering who had the guts to bother him. Perhaps one of his fanclub? Or did his brother.. No, it couldn't be..

Sasuke opened the door, and was overrun.

By ducks.

Baffled, he looked around. Not believing what he just experienced, he saw his room. Every day, he left his room in a perfect state. A true genius always paid attention to every detail. And now it was a chaos.

But all Sasuke saw was a single card, standing on the table. "Welcome home, Grumpy", it said.

That cat.

That cat had done this.

"I'll kill that cat!", resounded, after a second of silence.

* * *

_**Too furry**_

"Ahhh that was fun", Chie purred, stretching out on the grass. "Now only a nice little sleep, and this day would be perfect…"

* * *

With their clan's strict laws, Hanabi had lived a life where the word 'fun' usually did not exist. Well, her mother allowed it. Encouraged it, even. But in front of her mother, Hanabi would always live in the shadow of her elder sister. It baffled her, but somehow her mother spent more time with that failure than with her. While Hanabi did everything that the clan demanded from her.

_She_ was the perfect heir, and it would only be a matter of time before the entire clan accepted that truth. But right now, the 'perfect heir' stood before a big dilemma.

A dilemma she had not expected to face today.

Hanabi knew there was still time enough, her father would not expect her to be in the dojo for another fifteen minutes. And there was nothing around. But still..

It would not be appropriate.

Yet.. It was just too cute!

* * *

Half asleep, Chie felt someone scratching her belly. '_Ahhh nice…'_, the cat thought while she turned on her back. And purred like a little kitten.

Hanabi could not resist the black and white cat, with its unusually long and fluffy tail curled around it. Hanabi could never pull her eyes away from cute animals like this. But she would rather die than let anyone see a weakness in her!

* * *

Hinata smiled, as she stood behind a pillar. She had not seen this side from her little sister in a long time. '_Such a sweet creature.. I wonder why Kiba even suspected Chie in the first place. How could he even think she would throw a bucket of blue paint on top of Akamaru?'_

* * *

_**Theft**_

"I know we had our differences.. But we must set them aside now. You know as well as I do what is on stake here. If this job succeeds, we will be rich!" Pacing around, the speech continued. "But it will not be easy. I cannot do this alone… I can break in, and take the goods with me, but I will need a distraction, or they will catch me red-handed.. "

He whined in response.

"Don't be stupid, if we involved the two-legs in this, we would only have to split the loot over more people!"

A short bark.

"Yes, we split it, fifty fifty. And the longer you distract them, the more I can snatch."

That got a happy bark as response.

"Yes yes, I promise I will never throw paint at you again.. I am sorry, I was just a little bored.. Really, those white-eyed-two-legs are too darn boring. One would get crazy in there.."

Some barking, which sounded rather questioning.

"Just visit you there? Are you out of your mind? With those three lunatics around? They would kill me! No, it against my principles to work with dogs, but this is a special case. This two-leg dared to insult Ako-sama! He sold her bad meat, and had the audacity to compensate for it when she found out! As if Ako-sama would even let food go bad..", Chie growled. "No one insults Ako-sama and gets away with it. Not while she provides me food!"

Akamaru remained silent, looking a bit confused by the sudden passionate outburst from the feline. He reconsidered: she was not just cynical, but also very loyal. Despite being a cat, she was not all that bad. He would almost forgive her the prank with the blue paint. If it had not taken Kiba days to get it all off..

* * *

"What's wrong?", Naruto asked, when Ako stopped. As always, he helped her doing the groceries and stuff. She could not carry everything, while he had no idea about food. Expect if it was ramen. But Ako's puzzled look confused him a bit.

"Look it this.. Isn't that Chie?", she frowned.

"It.. That tail.. Seems like it is her.. Why would they put up a painting of her in here?", Naruto wondered, reading the text below. "They are searching her for theft?! What?"

"It seems like I have to get a long talk with that naughty kitten", Ako said on the cold tone which Naruto recognized immediately. Chie was screwed. Ako was gentle and quiet, but once people crossed a certain line..

They were all doomed. Doomed!

* * *

_**Gifts**_

"Welcome home sweetie!", her mother shouted, as Sakura closed the door.

"I'll be right there mom!", she shouted back to the kitchen. "Change clothes first!"

Quickly getting back downstairs, she helped her mother preparing dinner. Father would be home soon, after a long day working at the shop. Sakura often felt the disadvantages of hailing from a minor clan in Konoha, but at least she had her family intact. Merchants and shop owners usually lived longer than shinobi who served at the front lines. And Sakura loved her family, annoying as they might be at times, far too much to ever want to lose them.

'_Strange, I work hard to become a shinobi while I am glad that my parent do not have to risk their lives.._', Sakura realized.

"'evening, Mebuki", Haruno Kizashi hugged his wife. "Had a good day?"

"Sure", she smiled, before she kissed him. "Get cleaned up, dinner is ready in five minutes."

"Right, on my way honey", the man laughed, knowing very well that he should not ignore such an order. Besides, it smelled far too good to be late.

"Sakura, I'd nearly forget, but there was a package delivered today, but it was addressed to your teammate."

"Eh?", Sakura was focussed on cutting a few fresh chives for over the salad. "Package? To whom?"

"The Uchiha boy", Mebuki smiled, knowing that this would get the undivided attention of her daughter. "Perhaps you should bring it to him? _After _dinner, of course."

* * *

Whatever had been in the package, it was quite heavy. Sakura was very curious, and her inner voice urged her to open it. But the package was sealed, and opening it would only make the wrong impression on Sasuke-kun.

No, this was much better. Now Sasuke-kun would see how dependable Sakura was!

"Sakura?", Sasuke opened the door of his apartment, after Sakura had knocked.

"Sasuke-kun? What happened to you?", Sakura frowned. The boy was dirty, and carried a bag which he now threw in the garbage can outside.

"Goddamned cat", Sasuke grumbled. "Keep finding feathers.. Why are you here, Sakura?"

"Ehm.. A package.. It was delivered at my home."

"A package?", Sasuke frowned. "I did not order anything.."

"There's a note attached to it", Sakura pointed at the envelope that was stuck on the package.

"A token of my sincere apologies", Sasuke read. "Apologies?", he frowned. He ripped open the package and saw a single, very large and broad, book inside it.

"Ninjutsu for dummies…", he read, looking at Sakura. "You.. Wanted me to give me this book?"

"I.. Eh… What?", Sakura did not know how to react.

"Why would you…", Sasuke started, not believing that Sakura wanted to insult him like this..

And then he saw a single feather sticking out of the book.

The kind of feather he had come to know so well in these last few days.

A duck feather.

Sasuke felt a vein pop on his forehead.

"I.. I WILL KILL THAT CAT!"

* * *

**A/N:** I know, these little sidestories don't really fit in, but lets just say they happened between the mission where Naruto found Chie, and the boulder-breaking mission. The idea's on pranking Sasuke were a bit older, and I was still wondering how I could fit in Hanabi into the story. Even though the girl has only a minor role in part 1, I thought it would be interesting to show her dilemma between being herself and being the one her clan wants her to be.. And I wanted to give some more background to Sasuke and Sakura, while also letting Chie having her way with 'grumpy-two-leg'. Besides, I wanted to make fun of the ridiculous nickname Sasuke got on many forums! I've seen a fair share of posters on narutoforums which were far less.. civilized.. as Chie just was!

I suppose I will add more of these little stories later on, as 'omake', so to speak. If I have the inspiration for them. Getting Chie and Akamaru together might indeed be a great way to spread a little chaos in Konoha. Perhaps, if the meat they stole was good enough, they might go out on other adventures together.. They are the pranksters that Konoha deserves, but not the ones it needs right now.. Especially because.. Well, let's say next chapter will be a bit more serious!

On a personal note: I hope you all enjoy things up to now. I'll return in a couple of days, but the land of waves mission still needs some work!

-Z-

PS. For the record: Chie cannot write, but Ako did not know she were involved in her schemes initially.. The second time, she believed that Chie wanted to apologize for real. Luckily, she did not find out what really happened, or Chie would still have to sleep without her soft little blanket…One does not simply trick Hyuga Ako and gets away with it unpunished!

PPS. nearly 2200 views from over 600 visitors. And that in the two days since I started publishing! Seriously, I am humbled. I had braced myself to be burned down, being the inexperienced writer I am, so I never expected this :)


	8. Land of waves

**Land of waves**

* * *

The bridge builder appeared to be a man named Tazuna, a grey-haired man who did not seem to possess much patience. "Great, so I get stuck with a team of kids" he said harshly, earning him a glare from both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Enough for a C-rank mission", Kakashi replied dryly. "And these 'kids' are properly trained shinobi who have earned the right to take this level of missions." Unfortunately for her, Kakashi noticed Sakura's look of doubt. '_Guess she will need some encouragement. Should be difficult, being in a team with a genius like Sasuke, and someone as extraordinary as Naruto_', he noted to himself.

Tazuna grunted something none of the shinobi could understand. "All right then, let's go."

They headed towards the land of waves, an island near the country of fire, the country where Konohagakura was located in. Kakashi knew it would take them a couple of days to hike towards the border. Enough to spend a little time on training each day.

"Ok team, Tazuna-san is no shinobi so we take a rest now", which earned Kakashi a grateful look from the self-proclaiming bridge-building genius. "But for the three of you I have some exercises."

After explaining the theory behind it, he made them do the more advanced chakra control exercise of tree-climbing. Just by putting the right amounts of chakra into their feet, a shinobi could climb any surface. Kakashi wasn't very surprised when Naruto shrugged. "Haruki-san and Hizashi-sama made me do that, and water walking, because my chakra control sucked so much." He demonstrated by effortlessly walking up the nearest tree.

Kakashi did not, however, expect Sakura to do the same. "I knew you had good chakra control, but to pick this up so quickly is quite impressive", Kakashi said, making her blush. Though to her surprise, Sasuke did not react. Not outwardly at least. But they knew enough about him to see his frustration after two failed attempts. It often seemed as if the Uchiha grew more and more impatient.

"You guys stay with Tazuna-san, I'll take Sasuke and help him. We'll be back in an hour, some dinner would be nice", the lazy ninja added.

Between Sakura's preparedness and the multitude of kage bunshin, setting up camp and preparing dinner was easy. Bored, Tazuna pulled a deck of cards out of one of the pockets of his backpack. "Anyone want to play?"

"Fine, though we're with three", Sakura remarked, smiling at Naruto. She had decided to be a little nicer towards the silent blond. "Why don't you add one of your bunshin?"

"Nothing is worse than losing to yourself", Naruto replied. Some quick hand seals later, Gamakichi appeared.

"Woah, where did you get the frog?" Tanuza said, not realizing his mistake.

"Hey! Don't take this amphibian for a fool! I am _not_ a damned frog, I am a toad, you blind dunce", the small toad responded angrily.

Sakura giggled, "But can you play cards?"

"Sure thing. Pops doesn't want me, saying I'm too young, but Naruto taught us."

"Well, teach..", Naruto shrugged, "It's not like I'm that good, s you partly figured it out yourself. I don't think Tatsu picked it up though."

"If only my idiot brother had as much talent as he has an appetite", the toad sighed.

* * *

Kakashi sure did not expect the four of them playing cards when he returned with Sasuke. Several kage bunshin took care of the food, while his other genin, and a small toad made fun of their client whose luck had apparently abandoned him.

Sasuke did not share the happiness. Kakashi noticed that the boy's mood recently only got worse and worse. He learned the tree climbing exercise faster than expected of genin, but nothing seemed to satisfy the brooding boy. "Ok let's have something to eat", the jonin said. "After a few hours of sleep we should pick up the pace a little."

* * *

The days after went on without incident. Kakashi taught Sasuke several chakra control tricks, while letting Sakura work on increasing her meagre chakra reserves. Naruto kept watch over Tazuna, though the boy also spent a lot of time on studying, as he brought a few scrolls on fuinjutsu with him.

The third day of travel Naruto cursed when he noticed that the kage bunshin he left at the Hyuga estate had dissolved. Kakashi told him that there was a limited time at which clones could operate. Not that the jonin told the boy how crazy it was that they had lasted this long..

"What were you having them do, anyway?", he asked his student.

"Oh, one was reading some of the scrolls on fuinjutsu which I inherited", the boy answered. "And another was helping Haruki-san and Ako-san by doing chores." The complete indifference at which the genin used the A-ranked jutsu still staggered Kakashi. Not to mention that it had been not just one, but two bunshin.. The amount of chakra that Naruto would have put in them to last this long would have been staggering.

"I gave them a little more chakra, so they would last longer", Naruto added dryly, confirming Kakashi's expectation. "Just an experiment.."

* * *

Of course, things did not stay this peaceful. Only a few hours away from the border, the team passed a puddle of water.

Suddenly, two shinobi appeared. Before the genin could process the unexpected appearance, the two threw a long chain around Kakashi, tearing the jonin into pieces.

Sakura screamed at the sight. Sasuke's hidden anger showed on the surface. Naruto's eye colour changed from blue to purple-ish. The two continued their assault before the genin acted, charging at Tazuna.

Unable to respond, Tazuna froze. The long metal claws each shinobi had on their arms moved as one. Yet before they could strike Tazuna, Sasuke jumped up, tying down the chain which was attached to their claws, only by using a shuriken and a kunai.

Before either of the attackers could respond, Sasuke kicked them both away, after appearing between the two. Sadly, the athletic feat had little effect. If anything, it managed to enrage the two adult shinobi. Dropping the chain, the two split and charged forward, ignoring the Uchiha.

Sakura jumped in front of Tazuna, rather risking wounds or death, then disappointing her team any further. Not that she felt like she could do much against these two attackers. Not that Kakashi allowed them to take any of his genins lives, as he reappeared and caught the taller of the two assailants.

The shorter backed away just in time to avoid the jonin's counterattack. Not that Naruto allowed him to escape. "Thanks", he whispered in the man's ear, "I've been waiting to try this one". A glowing red seal became visible on the shinobi's back. "Fuunjutsu, infernal seal. Release", Naruto barked.

* * *

Looking at the charred remains of the man who had been unlucky enough to dodge him, Kakashi turned towards the man he had caught. He noted to himself that he had to teach Naruto about the importance of taking prisoners, rather than killing them so (disturbingly) easily. "So, why do did you attack Tazuna-san?", he asked with a deceivingly calm voice. "Two chunin of the hidden mist, by the looks of your clumsy trap. Seriously, don't hide in a puddle when there hasn't been rain for days.."

The chunin just grinned, before his eyes rolled back.

"Dammit", Kakashi uttered. "Poison? Willing to throw away their lives for a mission revolving around a bridge builder.." He turned to Tazuna, with a penetrating gaze. "Tell me why they wanted you death. If you are not honest, we _will_ abandon you to your fate. If the hidden mist is willing to invade our country to kill you, there must be quite the bounty on your head."

Tazuna's shoulders slumped. "I am sorry Kakashi-san. Our village could not afford an A-rank mission.. And if I told anything about Gato's involvement, it would not be a B-rank anymore."

Tazuna looked at Kakashi, now clearly desperate, "Our village suffers at the hand of that bastard. He owns every ship in the vicinity, and charges ridiculous prices. When we started building a bridge to remove our dependency of his company, he hired mercenaries and killed a few of our people. He tortured my son in law, cut of his arms, and let him bleed to death. And several of the younger women.. They…" Tazuna's eyes were filled by tears of anger, "I risked my life to get help, abandoning my honour with lies and deception, but I beg of you.. Please save my village. By leaving I already have thrown away my own life, by I do not want my daughter or grandson be reduced by to little more than his slaves!"

Kakashi pondered what to do. '_That Gato is loaded. He has more than enough money to afford jonins, so why did he send out those two? Unless he hired a band of missing nin's.. Which would not care about borders.. That would also make this an A-rank mission, not something these kids could deal with. But abandoning him would equal killing him, and a lot more people by sound of it._'

"I guess we have no choice. We will protect you at least until you get back to your country. Despite the deception, abandoning you now would be honourless", Kakashi said on an even tone. "And I don't want't to be like the scum that abandons innocent people."

"Ugh..", Naruto groaned. '_Why do we even bother with this lying idiot.. First acting all high and mighty, and now this…'_

* * *

After sneaking into the land of waves, team 7 saw the poverty Gato caused. People looked badly fed, and seemed to lack any sort of hope. Kakashi saw this and realized he made the right decision. '_Though next opponent surely won't be chunin, but jonin',_ Kakashi sighed, not looking forward to exert himself.

Leaving the village, the group walked towards Tazuna's house. Apparently, he lived there with his daughter Tsunami, and grandson Inari. Suddenly Sasuke threw a couple of shuriken towards the bushes.

"A snow rabbit?", Sakura asked, as Sasuke held up the poor animal.

Naruto did not mind. "At least we have some dinner now", he smirked, earning him a shocked glare from Sakura. None of the genin noticed Kakashi's sudden alertness.

"EVERYONE DOWN, NOW", he shouted, causing the huge blade which was thrown at them to miss.

The blade ended up being stuck in the tree behind the bushes where the rabbit was hiding. On top of the hilt, a tall man appeared. The man had a bare, muscular chest, and wore the hidden mist sign, albeit it had a large scratch through it, indicating he had abandoned his own village.

"Zabuza", Kakashi groaned. Not an enemy he would like to face. "Guess I there is no need to hold myself back any more", he added while he slid up the strap which covered his other eye. "You guys stay out of this, this guy is beyond your abilities."

Shocking Sasuke, Zabuza chuckled: "Well well, no wonder the brothers did not return. Sharingan Kakashi.. I am honoured you immediately uncover your strongest asset. Not that your copying skill will help you much.. _Ninpou. Hidden mist no jutsu_", he exclaimed after jumping towards the water.

As Zabuza vanished in a cloud of mist, Kakashi jumped forward, leaving Tazuna to his genin.

Sakura nearly fainted, and Sasuke looked shocked. The amount of chakra the jonin released was a lot more than they had expected. Naruto stayed fairly calm, though annoyed he could not follow the fight. Sending out kage bunshin, he prepared a barrier to protect his teammates and Tazuna.

Also, he smelled someone else. Another shinobi was hiding, nearby. But before Naruto could act, he saw Zabuza had trapped Kakashi in a large ball of water. "Damn", he grumbled, running toward his sensei. Rather focus on the known threat, than the unknown. "Keep Tazuna-san safe", he shouted towards his teammates.

"Water. Would make sense to summon a toad, I guess", Naruto mumbled, while gathering the chakra to summon Gamabunta. Before finishing his hand seals, though, Zabuza appeared and kicked him back. '_Damn it, a water clone_.'

As Zabuza's clone closed in on Naruto, the latter grinned '_So I don't get the time for hand seals, so let's try this one…'_ "Futon", he exclaimed, pressing both hands to each other, "explosion". Both hands threw out large amounts of chakra, creating a large bubble of air around Naruto.

Naruto had worked on his taijutsu, and had tried to replicate the way the Hyuga focussed their chakra on their hands in their juken-style. But when Naruto tried to focus wind chakra to his hands, he found that could create weak shockwaves. And with both hand pressed to each other, he amplified both waves into one large explosive shockwave. If enough chakra was used.

Zabuza's water clone was torn apart by that shockwave when the bubble of chakra, which had surrounded Naruto for a moment, exploded. Tazuna and the others were protected by Naruto's barrier, but the real Zabuza was taken by surprise.

As the shockwave disrupted the water prison, Kakashi lunged at Zabuza. Now at an advantage, Kakashi made quick work of Zabuza. Before landing a decisive hit, Zabuza was felled.

A young masked ninja appeared. "Thank you. I have been looking to retrieve the corpse of this traitor for quite a while", the shinobi said with a gentle voice. Not that anyone thought he was gentle, not after witnessing how Zabuza's throat was just pierced by several senbon.

"That mask.. A hidden mist hunter-nin", Kakashi said, surprised that someone of that age would hold such a rank. The hunter seemed to be of his own genin's age.

"Correct", the youngster replied, "your battle is over, I must dispose of this body, and return his blade to the hidden mist. Farewell".

* * *

Finally at the end of their journey, team 7 found themselves unable to return. Kakashi had exhausted himself by using the sharingan too much, and had to take some rest before they could travel again.

At the same time, Kakashi was uneasy. He was missing something. "Naruto", the jonin called his student. "What did you notice about the hunter-nin?" Naruto closing the door, suspecting what was implied.

"I presume you ask me what I _sensed_, Kakashi sensei?", Naruto asked, aware that Kakashi knew about his different sense. "I cannot say there was any malice in him. Or her. With those clothes I'm not sure about the gender", Naruto added, scratching his chin. "I noticed someone getting close, but as I felt nothing wrong, I focussed on the mizu bunshin and getting you out of that water prison."

Kakashi nodded, following his reasoning. "I felt no pulse after Zabuza was hit. Still feels like I missed something."

"You think he might still be alive?" Naruto frowned. Kakashi shrugged, not sure.

"I do not know, Naruto.. I had hoped you could explain..", Kakashi sighed.

"My ability, or whatever you want to call it, isn't flawless, sensei", Naruto frowned. "For instance, if people truly believe that what they do is right, no matter how evil it is I will not be able to sense them. And it isn't like I can separate each individual around me and figure out whether he or she is good or bad.. Virtually everyone is a mixture of both. You read in books about people who have a 'pure heart', but I would almost say that this is a big lie.. If I concentrate enough on someone, I can always find something."

"Must be.. Strange", Kakashi admitted. "To feel such things.. How precise is this ability?"

"I can sense hatred. And if it is strong enough, I can sense fear. Fear seems to be the foundation of hatred, or so I once read in a book.. It's not like I can detect lies", Naruto chuckled softly. "I wish I could do that.. No, the byakugan probably easily surpasses me.."

"But is also easier to counter, or deceive", Kakashi remarked.

"I guess.. It's not like people can change their own emotion with will alone, unless they are truly crazy.. But sensei, do you think that this masked kid works together with that Zabuza?"

"It.. It would be the most logical thing.."

"Guys", Naruto shouted.

The others entered the room, looking curiously. Or in Sasuke's case: annoyed.

"Sasuke, Sakura, you two should take turns and practice your exercises here. The other of you will join Naruto in protecting Tazuna-san", Kakashi ordered.

Sasuke looked darkly. Sakura was puzzled. "Didn't we kill Zabuza?"

"The hunter-nin did. At least, we presume he did", Kakashi added, leaving it the genin's interpretation. "But beyond that, we still have Gato out there, and I doubt he will give up this easily."

"So you expect another attack." Sasuke concluded. It would make sense. Though irritating, Naruto clearly had the strongest defence, using his barriers. As long as Kakashi was out of commission, either he or Sakura would have to stay close. Training was the best way to pass the time.

* * *

Gato stood over a sleeping Zabuza. "Preposterous. All the money I gave you and still you fail."

The knive in his hand never reached Zabuza, as a masked shinobi threw Gato backwards. The two mercenaries jumped at him, but died before reaching the ground, not knowing what had happened to them.

"You will not touch Zabuza-sama", the boy (or girl) hissed.

Gato scrambled back, and fled. If those idiots failed, he would just take his private army and do the job himself. Hiring shinobi only finalized he death sentence the village already faced..

"Wait a few days", Zabuza spoke with a weak voice, halting Gato for a moment.

* * *

Kakashi was resting in a bed, the third day after they had arrived. As it was morning, Sasuke trained outside the house, while Sakura and Naruto kept watch over the construction site. At least, that's what Kakashi thought, till Naruto popped up in his room.

"Don't worry sensei, I'm just a bunshin", the blond boy started. "I have to ask something. What is the sharingan?"

"I see..", Kakashi answered thoughtfully, "The sharingan was the source of what made the Uchiha so famous. Once awakened, they give the user a large degree of insight in how chakra is used. This enables them to reproduce a jutsu, without learning it the regular way. Or, to counter a jutsu, before it is executed."

"And these supereyes make people call you the 'copy ninja'?"

"Yes. Though I am not an Uchiha, I did receive my left eye as a.. Parting gift.. From my best friend."

"But what else does it do?" Naruto said, surprising Kakashi. "My… Guest seems to hate the sharingan quite a lot. My theory would be that the sharingan has some other power, which affects _him_. He won't confirm it though, the bastard is too proud. But his silence means enough. And the fact that I was put in _your_ team, alongside the last remaining Uchiha.."

"I.. am no Uchiha, so I do not know every secret the sharingan has", Kakashi replied hesitantly. But even without the byakugan, Naruto had learned enough from the Hyuga. Knowing his sensei would, or could, not give an answer, Naruto nodded and popped. '_He could probably not confirm it because he was probably ordered not to do that, but he chose not to deny it either_', the real Naruto thought after the bunshin had dissolved.

* * *

Sakura wondered why Naruto was so silent again. During the journey, he had seemingly opened up a little, but this morning he once again was as silent and distant as he was during the times at the academy. She had never really noticed him, if it was not for the obvious disapproval most adults had to him. She had always supposed that they would have reason to do such, so she followed by example. As was expected of her. But after what she had seen of him made her wonder if the majority was right.

Naruto was not a very social person, but once he opened up a bit, he turned out to be a very kind person. He did not have the looks or charisma Sasuke had, but he did seem to be a good and reliable person. If not overly serious at times.. It seemed to her like he could give Shino a run for his money in that aspect. But contrary to Shino, Naruto almost made the impression as if he hid some darkness inside him. Perhaps he knew about the reason that the village hated him?

"So, what are you reading about", she decided to ask him, looking over his shoulder at the nearly unreadable scroll."

Naruto looked up at her, doubting if he should tell her. He shrugged, not that she could do much harm. "I inherited a load of books and scrolls on fuinjutsu, left behind by the Uzumaki clan."

"You got that from your clan? Never heard of any other Uzumaki though."

"Seems reasonable.. My clan was mostly wiped out before I was born. I was told that I am the last survivor of my clan."

'_Two people who are both the last of their respective clans? What could be the odds of that..'_, Sakura thought. "So how do those seals work? I've read some basic theory on them, but it seemed kinda hard to do."

"I guess so", Naruto mused, absently scratching the back of his head. "Even with some kage bunshin it still took me two years to work through the basics, and towards the more advanced seals." Knowing her interest in the theoretical stuff, he decided to expand his explanation a little.

"In principle, people have different kinds of chakra, and for jutsu the combine those types of chakra with the various hand seals, right?" he saw her nodding, so continued. "Seals have the same kind of basics. The issue is that instead of hand seal, there are a _lot_ more written signs. And as there are more signs, there are also much more possible combinations. In addition, properly creating seals also means the user has to put the right types of chakra in it, in the exact amounts specified. There are workaround, but the direct methods so far always seem to have superior results."

Sakura looked pensive, "So chakra control has to be advanced, but there are quite some people around with very high degrees of control, and I hardly see anyone using fuinjutsu."

"Because the stronger seals require loads of chakra, which in turn means that it is impossible to create such a seal on your own. And the more people are involved in creating a seal, the harder it becomes."

"I see.. Too many types of chakra, the timing, and levels of understanding and so on.."

"That's where the Uzumaki seem to get their advantage. From what I've learned from the history books, my clan was known for having large amounts of chakra, as well as great endurance."

Naruto realized that this probably also why he was the only one capable of containing the kyuubi.

"Anyway, I usually study these kinds of scrolls to decipher them, and learn to reproduce the jutsu. Which is quite a frustrating job considering that there is no one who can teach me, other than Jiraiya-sensei. And even he doesn't understand much the scribbles my ancestors left me.."

Sakura gained an unexpected amount of respect for her teammate. No wonder he continued to surprise everyone, as none had realized how skilled he was. Such mastery was no mere matter of lineage; it was the result of a lot of hard work as well. '_If he is capable of doing this in a few years, how much will he still grow?_', Sakura asked herself.

As she walked back to her post, she felt weaker than she had ever done before. Though the promise that hard work could give such results also gave her some hope.

* * *

After Sakura had walked back, Naruto was left with a little curiosity. '_Odd, she acts so different.. I know she hates me, and ignores me whenever she has the chance, but why start a conversation now?'_

"She's impressed", the Kyuubi answered inside him. "Impressed by _my_ power", the monster chuckled.

Before he could counter the monster's words, a large explosion sounded from the other side of the village. "Stay here", Naruto hissed at the workers, and the two dozen of clones he created for their protection. "Let's go", he woke Sakura up from her shock.

* * *

The wealthy Gato smiled at the sight of his little army breaking apart the village. Those idiots tried to resist _him_. He had to make an example of them. Those stupid civilians should know better than to resist him. And after getting a firm grip on this backwater country, he could expand his business in the Land of Water

After waiting a few days to make sure that the shinobi those fools had hired had left, he ordered his mercenaries to strike. Well, even if they had stayed, what chance would they have against his army?

Killing all, except the women that were 'interesting' enough, his men would make sure the village was broken down, and any resistance in the region would be broken by the sight of his power. Gato smiled, today was a nice day. He had heard that the bridge builder's daughter was not bad looking either, so he had ordered a few of his men to capture her, so he also had some.. Private entertainment. His men could do whatever they wanted with the other women.

* * *

Seeing the destruction and death the mercenaries had brought in only the short while, Sakura paled. There were at least a hundred, heavily armed men.. How could they save them? Something else caught her eye: her teammate stood next to her, frozen. But his eyes were no longer blue.

His face was torn apart by a feral rage unlike any she had seen before.

* * *

"Human scum!", the Kyuubi's deep voice growled within Naruto.

"You humans look down at animals or us bijuu. Yet the only ones capable of such horror are you people. You call me a demon, yet my actions pale compared to human brutality!"

Naruto barely noticed the fox's anger, as if it was barely an echo of his own rage. Vaguely aware of Sakura's terrified look, he growled. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

* * *

Gato blinked in surprise, when suddenly his own army was outnumbered. Clothed in black pants and white shirts, an army of blond genin appeared.

In what seemed an instant, most of his army was wiped out. All the resources he had put into gathering the best mercenaries of the region vaporized in an instant. Ripped of limbs and heads, a wave of blood. Gato paled when he realized what he saw.

His impending death.

"You must be Gato", an angry voice spoke. Gato turned to look behind him, right into the furious red eyes of the original Naruto. There was no shred of mercy in the savage eyes that looked down upon him.

Attempting to flee, not noticing how soggy his pants had gotten, Gato tried to run away.

A fiery claw pierced his ribs, tearing out the shipping magnate's heart. The scorched heart fell on the ground before the man even realized he died.

* * *

Sakura watched in horror, terrified how her teammate had changed. Not even shocked by his ability to create what had to be at least two hundred clones, it was his behaviour which stunned her.

The clones _butchered_ the mercenaries.

Though Sakura knew those men got what they deserved, Sakura was shocked that her teammate turned out to be such a ruthless killer. _'He's a… A monster..'_, she thought while trembling.

With the village purged of its attackers, the clones vanished, revealing their master, who was now sprinting towards Tazuna's house.

* * *

Kakashi was happy he was recovering faster than he initially expected, but let Sasuke handle the assailants to avoid the risk of straining himself. The boy needed someone to vent his anger, and these mercenaries deserved no less. Their intention had been obvious, knocking out Inari and attempting to drag away Tsunami.

These men were worse than trash.

Sasuke's improvement showed when he finished off both of them at once. Hard work pays of, even to those recognized as geniuses.

The explosion further up in the town shook him up. "So there is a full assault.." Kakashi remarked. "Sasuke, let's.."

The jonin never got to finish his sentence, as he had to dodge a large blade which had swung up from his blind spot, barely dodging, Kakashi noticed that Sasuke was under attack as well. His fear had come true, as the masked boy turned out to be a traitor as well.

"So we meet again", Zabuza smirked from under the bandages that covered most of his face.

'_Damn, this is not going to be easy. I hope Naruto and Sakura can handle whoever is attacking the village.. Sasuke should be fine against a single opponent, even if it is a chunin._'

* * *

Unfortunately, the masked boy was far stronger than Kakashi had expected. Though Sasuke had nearly killed him early in the fight, the masked boy revealed his kekkei genkai: hyoton. Even when using his one-tomoe sharingan, the ice release proved too much for the gifted Uchiha.

The masked boy leaped between the giant mirrors of ice. Sasuke could not damage the mirrors, or avoid the senbon that seemed to be thrown from every direction at once.

When Naruto crashed in, he saw his teammate covered with needles, kneeling on the ground. "Sasuke?" he asked, disturbed. "Shit!", Naruto cursed, noticing the Uchiha was barely conscious.

"And who are you?" The voice came from all the remaining mirrors. "Quite impressive, taking down three mirrors at once"

Naruto growled. "Uzumaki Naruto. That will be the name of the one who kills you."

Sounding curious, the boy replied. "That would be even more impressive. My name is Haku, pleased to meet you."

As the senbon got pinned in him, Naruto wondered who this guy was. The masked one had a gentle voice, as if he or she regretted what had to be done. And still it was too hard to say whether it was a boy or a girl. And the strangest was: there was not a speck of malice to be noticed. Naruto felt nothing from his opponent, giving him the slightly blind feeling he hardly ever experienced.

"How much do I rely on you, you damned fox?", Naruto grumbled under his breath.

"Please yield", Haku said. "I do not wish to kill, I only have orders to stop anyone from disrupting Zabuza-sama's duel."

Looking past Haku and the mirrors, Naruto spotted his sensei, who now struggled against the renegade. '_Seems like you still need me, weakling',_ the fox smirked. It was happy to channel more of it chakra to Naruto, as the latter was still painfully unaware of the growing influence the Kyuubi got through it.

Haku tried to attack again, but this time Naruto was fast enough to dodge.

'_He dodged me without a sharingan?!',_ Haku thought, before stepping up his speed.

Lost in anger, Naruto released a scream. No, not just a scream, it was more like a shockwave. The blond boy generated so much chakra that the already damaged mirrors now began to crack.

For the first time in his life, Haku felt fear. Fear because of an opponent whose strength even surpassed that of his master. "Forgive me, Zabuza-sama. I have failed", the ninja whispered before being hit by the full force of the blond boy's rage.

* * *

When Sakura arrived, she screamed. Sasuke was covered with wounds. Needles of melting ice still stuck in his limbs. A hard crash sounded, and a body flew past her, falling down only a few meters away.

Naruto jumped after his opponent, seeing Sakura's tears as she held Sasuke in her arms. The grim determination he had vanished when he noticed some weak movements from his black haired teammate.

When he found the unconscious body of Haku, Naruto was torn. Killing a defenceless enemy was honourless, but he felt the Kyuubi calling for Haku's death.

* * *

Kakashi noticed Zabuza's distraction. For a while now, the Kyuubi's chakra could clearly be felt. Naruto had expended amount of chakra which would put most jonin to shame. Perhaps Jiraiya could be considered stronger, or otherwise his own 'eternal rival' after the latter opened up his celestial gates. No wonder that Zabuza was disturbed.

"What do you say if we end this fight", Kakashi tried.

Zabuza glared at him. Was it a trick? He felt _something_, nearby, had started fighting against Haku. He rather helped out his young partner than continue the fight against the leaf jonin. Zabuza realized that even though Kakashi was weakened, the man could still match his own moves. _'Damn it! A draw against a weakened opponent is the same as losing a fight. I cannot lose twice against this bastard_.'

But his pondering was disrupted when he felt Haku had lost. Lost!

"All right", Zabuza gritted, as he swallowed his pride. "But you better make sure me and my partner get away from this place. Alive."

"I promise", Kakashi replied. "Though I would suggest we hurry, I don't know what my genin will do to your partner at this moment."

'_Genin?!'_, Zabuza thought, almost shocked enough for him to doubt his own hearing.

* * *

Aided by Sakura, Sasuke stood up. Humiliated and angry, he knew he was beaten. With his needles, Haku had effortlessly knocked Sasuke out. And Naruto had done what he could not. Staggering towards the body of his fallen opponent, Sasuke's eyes spurred open when he realized the now de-masked ninja was still alive.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!", the Uchiha shouted, surprising both teammates. Naruto was still standing in the path of the fireball, but Sasuke did not care. '_Killing the blond idiot would only be a bonus_', he smirked to himself.

"Sasuke!", Naruto shouted, sensing the Uchiha's intent. "What the hell are you doing!?"

With his hands still covered in flames from when he had attacked Haku, stopping the ball of fire was an easy task. But this was not what bothered him.. '_He does not care if his opponent is down or not.. He does not care whether or not he hits me… No, he does care..',_ Naruto thought with a sad look. The Kyuubi's influence removed by the sadness, Naruto realized how much malice Sasuke radiated now.

"You idiot, kill that guy!", the Uchiha shouted at him, angered by the ease at which Naruto had stopped the attack. And the look in Naruto's eyes when the blond looked at him, cold and dismissive, a frozen anger.

Naruto did not answer, he just extinguished the jutsu on his hand, and punched Sasuke.

Hard.

Sakura flinched when she heard the snapping sound of Sasuke's nose breaking. And she wanted to jump in before the fight could escalate, but was stopped by the sight of Kakashi. "Sensei!", she shouted in relief, as the jonin appeared between both boys, preventing things to get worse.

"Never attack your own teammates", he scolded them with an exhausted voice. "Zabuza-san, I trust our arrangement still stands? _Stop_ Naruto!", he added when he saw the blond genin move.

Zabuza looked at the genin who had beaten Haku. '_That chakra… Impossible for a child… How could he… He must be a… He is',_ Zabuza realized. "Yes… It seems like there won't be any payment now.. Seeing how that kid has killed Gato. I can smell his blood on you, brat", he added when he saw the surprised looks. "Until we meet again, Kakashi. But then I will fight you to the bitter end."

Carrying Haku, Zabuza quickly sprinted away. And team seven returned to Tazuna's house, so they could fix Sasuke's broken nose, and Kakashi could finally rest.

* * *

"Inari! Tsunami!", Tazuna shouted, heavily out of breath because he ran all the way back home.

Inari charged forward, into his grandfather's arms. "They saved us! They say Gato is dead, and our country is saved!"

Tazuna smiled back at the child, and muss his hair. "Yes, I saw what happened.. The village was attacked, but Naruto drove them all off."

* * *

"Zabuza is still alive?", Tazuna paled after Kakashi filled him in.

"Relax", the jonin sluggishly raised his hands. "His employer died, so Zabuza won't be after you any more, he is a professional. Besides, he knew we had the advantage.. But taking someone like Zabuza down without getting injured is difficult, and since we had no reason to further risk our lives…"

"I see", Tazuna frowned. "I hope you are right.. What happened to the kids?"

"Your daughter is helping Sakura mending Sasuke's nose", Kakashi said dryly. "Naruto is outside, scanning the area if there are any more mercenaries out there."

"Kakashi-san.. I must ask you.. Naruto-san, what… What _is_ he?", Tazuna asked cautiously.

"I cannot share any details", Kakashi sighed. "But rest assured, Naruto only became angry due to what the mercenaries were doing.. And we are shinobi… We are not supposed to have any issues with killing when the mission demands it."

"I see..", Tazuna frowned, somewhat stunned that the brutal behaviour of the boy should be considered 'normal'.

"That said, Naruto is quite extraordinary as a shinobi", Kakashi added. "Tell the townsfolk they have nothing to fear from us. We will take our leave soon enough. Sasuke's wounds will heal quickly, and my condition should improve soon as well… I was lucky that I did not have to overexert myself again, even though I was still recovering from the last match."

"Please stay for a few days", Tazuna said with a serious tone. "We plan to bury our dead tomorrow, but after that, we will celebrate the liberation of our country. And as our saviours, you four are our guests of honour."

"Alright", Kakashi sighed. "Then we will stay here for at least two days."

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei", Naruto woke up the jonin early in the morning.

"Naruto?", the jonin groaned. "What are you.."

"My original body found Gato's camp. There was only a minimal guard, and I took them out. But I wonder what we have to do with the money and other stuff which is there. There are also several corpses and some surviving women out there. Though the survivors are in a pretty bad shape", the boy added darkly.

"You were out all night?", Kakashi sighed.

"After what happened yesterday, how could I sleep?", Naruto replied on a cold and emotionless tone.

"Hmm… Can you take the survivors back to town? I don't know how far it is.."

"About half an hour distance from here", Naruto replied. "I'll deploy some clones, and transport them back. There are six who can walk, and five who cannot. And what about Gato's treasury?"

"Well.. I'd say the money should be given to the village… They need it the hardest right now. With those funds, completing the bridge won't be an issue any more. And I'll demand the full payment for an A-rank mission before I hand over the money", Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"I also found a lot of information.. Many on finance and business, but there were also a lot of scrolls which contain information on the Land of Water, and Kirigakure. Also… One scroll was rather strange, sensei", Naruto frowned. "It was about the Land of Whirlpools and also contained the symbol of Uzushiogakure. It seems to be some kind of report.. But it is encrypted and there are several seals placed upon the scrolls, so I don't know anything about the content of the scroll. I didn't want to risk any seal getting triggered."

Kakashi blinked a few times, and what little had remained of his sleepiness also vanished. _'Inside-information on Kirigakure… Hokage-sama will be most grateful for that one, even though the current relations with Kiri seem to be better than they have been in a long while, it could still be vital for future missions…'_

"We will give them to the hokage when we get back", Kakashi ordered. "I trust you can keep them with you. But keep this knowledge a secret for now."

"Affirmative", Naruto said dryly. "Though I would like to know more about that scroll about Uzushiogakure, it is my home country, after all", he added, before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

'_His mastery with the kage bunshin no jutsu has also improved drastically.. It figures, with the amounts of chakra he possesses, along with his creativity, that jutsu is perfect for him.'_

* * *

Sitting on top of the roof of a building on the edge of the village, Naruto looked as the village celebrated their newfound freedom. With the use of fuinjutsu, it had been fairly easy to transport the valuables along with the women he found. Upon his return, Naruto had seen many emotions on the faces of the villagers. Anger, defeat, and sorrow, upon seeing their kidnapped women return to them, wounded or deceased. And cheerfulness, gratitude, and relief, for the wealth, and even more because of the survivors he had brought along.

But what hurt Naruto most was deep fear he saw in the faces. Fear of him. Terrified, because of how he had saved them.

'_Those idiots.. I saved the town, and all they do is fear me?',_ Naruto pondered. '_And not just them.. Sakura, Sasuke, and even Kakashi-sensei… They all fear me. Despise me.. While I saved them. They should be thankful. Not glare at me from a distance, as if I am some kind of freak!'_

"Relax, brat..", Naruto heard the Kyuubi speak, before it pulled him 'in'.

* * *

"What?", Naruto did not bother to hide his annoyance.

"Hurts, doesn't it?", the fox said calmly.

"What do you.."

"Don't play stupid, I see everything you do. I got nothing else to do in this godforsaken place anyway", the demon growled. "Those humans, their response hurts you."

"Well yes.. Of course it does", Naruto admitted. "I saved their damned lives, and they look at me as if they think I am a monster."

"Humans… Humans are very short-sighted. They only care about themselves, and keep themselves blind to everything else. Those humans will never look at you without seeing me."

Naruto grimaced.

"And yet, what did I do to deserve their hatred", the Kyuubi surprised the boy. "Those humans.. They think themselves superior to everything else, and because of that they mistreat everything that is different from them. They call my kind demons. Those humans hate us, they attack us, and they imprison us!"

"They just fear you."

"Humans fear everything superior to themselves. Deep down they must realize their arrogance, but are too cowardly to admit their inferiority", the fox growled. "What makes a human so different from an animal? Or from anything that lives, even the trees and plants?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. Never had the fox been so serious to him. Most of the time, it seemed to curse at him, or mock him. But this time it felt like he lectured Naruto. In an instant, Naruto realized that he himself was just like those humans the fox just described.

"You..", Naruto sighed. "The humans in this town do not hate me because of you.. They don't know… No, but they fear me because of the exact same reasons… Ironic. I behave just like them, even though I am not like them."

"Jinchuriki", the fox spoke as if they word was a curse or horrible insult. "So now do you understand, you foolish brat? You always condemned me, while I simply hate a world which hates me."

"I… How could I say I understand you when I am not you?", Naruto mused, now surprising the fox, even though the latter did not show it. "But you hate me because I am your prison, and I hate you because you were imprisoned inside me..", Naruto sighed. "All this hatred… Humans…"

"Their ignorant desire for power led them to your creation", the fox said darkly. "Sealing me and my kind with the desire to 'tame' us..", it scoffed.

"So tell me… Your kind, what are you?", Naruto said after a few minutes of silence. The fox's head jerked up, his eyes widened a bit, revealing his surprise.

"Why would you want to know?"

"If they keep looking at me because of you, I might as well try to figure out what you are", Naruto shrugged.

"… We are what humans call the bijuu", the fox said. "The tailed beasts. We each have a number of tails, from one to nine, we all are unique, in contrast to you humans."

The fox moved his nine enormous tails, and strange enough, Naruto though the fox was proud of them.

"As I have nine", the fox continued, confirming Naruto's suspicion. "I am the strongest of my kind. But even the strength of the one-tail vastly overpowers that of any human. Well, nearly all", the Kyuubi admitted. "There have been a few humans around who managed to gather enough power to impress even us, like your first hokage for example."

"So.. They are your brothers and sisters?", Naruto frowned. "What, no children or anything?"

"Why would we reproduce like you lower life forms do? Time does not affect us, I was already alive before you shinobi came to be. But because of our power, our massive chakra, humans have always feared us. They wanted to turn us into weapons! One by one, my brothers and sisters fell into the hands of humans, and were trapped into their prisons.. Even I was captured… Damn that Uchiha Madara.."

"So I… What am I?", Naruto frowned, impressed by the enormity of what the Kyuubi had just told him.

"You? You were once a human, just like all the others of you miserable kind", the fox laughed darkly. "You were human until my chakra entered your body, and began to change you. Evolve you."

"So I am neither bijuu nor human", Naruto sighed. "No wonder they all see me as a monster."

The fox chuckled, while it withdrew into the darkness of its cage. "Monster… That word only shows they are too stupid to understand. Too inferior to even try."

* * *

Naruto's mind felt like it was flooded with thoughts and emotions. '_Who am I… What am I…_', he thought, as he left his inner world. '_Jinchuriki… Well fine then, if those humans don't want me to belong to their kind, I might just as well stop pretending!'_

'_Teams, teachers, family.. Friends.. I am not their equal. I have never been, so how could I belong to their kind? Geh.. Just look at these citizens, or Sakura… Even the few that are friendly to me will fear me once they see what I am. What I can become. It is merely a matter of time until they betray me too…'_

Naruto sighed deeply, as he turned his face away, not wanting to look at the celebration in front him any longer. Feeling betrayed.. Naruto wondered why he had even cared enough to begin with.

* * *

Once again alone in his silent world, the Kyuubi wondered why he felt conflicted.

The boy had been pushed enough to finally start despising humanity, but for some reason the fox could not feel much happiness about. It had annoyed him that it had taken so long before the boy gave up on his futile dreams of acceptance, but now he seemed to have done it… It felt empty.

His former jailors had never cared about him, or his kind. But this boy… The fox knew he had to corrupt the boy's soul in order to weaken the seal, but mental strength the boy possessed impressed him. The boy merely turned away from humanity, while he had every reason to strike back at it. As if the boy's core was made up out of kindness.

The Kyuubi sighed. _'I should just wait and see what will happen… He will probably fall, just like any other human. I just have to make sure the brat doesn't die before the seal has weakened enough for me to reclaim my freedom. So why don't I just amuse myself as much as I can while I am stuck here? Prove your worth to me, brat.'_

* * *

With the bodies Naruto had brought from Gato's camp, the death toll was set on twenty three. With an additional thirty five wounded, of which four critically. Kakashi wondered how this could be called a success, or even be celebrated. But after years of struggling, he could also somewhat understand the people. He remembered how Konoha cheered when the last war had ended. Well, how most of Konoha had cheered.. There were enough who rather had seen the war continue, too consumed by their hatred. There still are those who think like that.

But Kakashi had collected the money for an A-rank mission, and from what he saw in the scrolls Naruto had found, also some very useful intel. At least for Konoha, this mission had been a bigger success than anyone would have expected at the start. Though Kakashi hoped that next C-rank mission was a bit less complex.

No, this country and Konoha could celebrate. But team seven could not. Kakashi had seen how Sakura looked at Naruto. And he had seen and heard what Sasuke had done… '_Whatever chance this team had ever had died during this mission_', Kakashi sighed. '_Naruto's expression… Even if he understands their reaction, it must hurt him a lot. No, with his burden, it won't just hurt him. It'll only grow worse. The hatred Naruto feels will strengthen the Kyuubi's hold over him, causing the others to fear and hate him even more… This spiral will not stop, not while Naruto stays in this environment._'

Kakashi massaged his head. "I really am not fit.. I told him I would be a bad choice", Kakashi whispered to himself, thinking back at when he protested against the Hokage's decision on the formation of team seven.

* * *

The way back to Konoha was a lot faster now that Tazuna was not around. Still, to Sakura it seemed like it took twice the time. Naruto and Sasuke did not speak again, with the first barely even looking at the others. And though Naruto ignored Sasuke, the killing intent of the latter was obvious, even to her. The atmosphere was too uncomfortable.. What would this mean for her team? When she and Ino had a fight, they could talk about it afterwards. But neither of her team mates seemed to be even remotely interested in talking..

The Uchiha had refused to apologize, something which even Sakura seemed to resent. Kakashi sighed, '_Hiruzen was wrong, there will not be any friendship between these boys. They have to be taken apart, or they will end up killing each other during a next mission.. He must see that now as well.. This _must_ be solved!'  
_

* * *

**A/N:** I had some problems in rewriting this chapter because I added a plot-line, while also slightly changing two others, but it turned out that I could finish this chapter quicker than I had originally expected. Even though it is the longest chapter up to now, with a lot of things happening, of which many very important. Perhaps even controversial things, to some. I hope you don't hate me for it.

But poor Naruto, finally thinking people might treat him a little better, and then they are scared off… Even the Kyuubi seems to feel a little pity for the boy. Well, _seems_. And Sasuke.. Well, I've depicted Naruto a few shades darker, so it will be no surprise that Sasuke will become a bit darker as well..

And now.. Conflict management!

-Z-


	9. Outcast

**Outcast**

* * *

"Thank you, Kakashi, team 7." The Hokage said after hearing the report of the mission. Though Kakashi had not spoken of the Kyuubi, Hiruzen had heard enough to deduce what Naruto had done. More seriously, Kakashi had spoken of what Sasuke had done. The latter looked a bit uncomfortable, but his anger was still obvious.

"Sakura, you are relieved. Sasuke, meet me here at eight in the morning, tomorrow", the old man sighed. He had to find a proper way to deal with the Uchiha, but since he was the last of his bloodline, he could also not do too much..

"Naruto, Kakashi, you two stay put", he added.

Hiruzen wrote a short note, and sent out a guard to deliver it. He knew she had yet to collect today's assignment, so she should arrive shortly. Naruto just kept silent, not showing much emotion. Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed unusually agitated. "I suppose you want to tell me I was wrong about the team, Kakashi?"

"Umm… No, I don't care about right or wrong, Hokage-sama, but this situation.."

The old man sighed. He had thought that both boys would grow a bit closer, like he and Danzo had eventually come to understand each other. But he was wrong. They were different, and perhaps Kakashi was not as capable as their sensei had been. "Yes, this situation needs to change." Hiruzen looked at Naruto, "you did not say anything about how Sasuke attacked you, Naruto."

"There was little to say. Sasuke did not attack me because of the fox, he attacked me because he hates _me_. He tried to incinerate me, so I broke his nose. Nothing else."

Hiruzen frowned, worried by the indifference in Naruto's voice. "Do you mind being in the same team as him?"

"Why would I care", Naruto shrugged. "It's not like other people will treat me much better. Though glares are less annoying than fireballs.. Besides, Sakura saw me, and fears and hates me because of what I did. At least Sasuke's attempt to hurt me was not because of the fox. Besides, it's not like that level of attack would have done anything to me."

"Would you not like teammates which would respect you?", Hiruzen replied.

Naruto's hollow laughter shocked both Hiruzen and Kakashi. "Respect me?", Naruto smirked. "I doubt any of you humans do.."

"Naruto..", Kakashi started.

"Your fear is obvious, _sensei_", Naruto said on a cold tone. "Hatred and fear are quite similar, but I know enough to feel the difference. Your little act of indifference doesn't help you much.."

Someone knocked at the door.

"Come in", Hiruzen said. "Naruto, this is Yuhi Kurenai, jonin-sensei of team eight."

"Hokage-sama, Kakashi-senpai, Naruto-san", the black haired woman greeted them, a bit surprised to see the latter. "Might I ask why I was summoned? I.. Ehh… Hope I don't have to go away from Konoha today."

Hiruzen chuckled, "Don't worry, I've notified Asuma you will probably be a bit late for your dinner today." Kakashi frowned at the news, while Kurenai blushed slightly. "I recall your complaint about the lack of balance in your team, so I thought we could solve two separate problems at once."

Both jonin looked at each other and opened their mouths to start to speak (well, as far as visible with Kakashi's mask). Kakashi gestured her to start. "My team is overly focussed on tracking and scouting, and lacks the muscle to defeat more serious opponents", Kurenai explained. "My team exists of Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba along with his ninken Akamaru."

"Hmm..", Kakashi started thoughtfully. "My team consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto", tapping the boy on his shoulder. "Though you could say that there is no problem with regard to the skills, two of my team members have had a.. Conflict."

Naruto remained silent, and was looking the other way, not caring about the conversation that was going on. It was merely the blabbering of a few humans.

"That is why I would propose to transfer Naruto to your team, Kurenai", Hiruzen spoke up. "Kakashi is the only other with the sharingan, so I can't take Sasuke away from him."

Kurenai frowned. "In exchange for one of my genin I suppose… I would prefer to keep Hinata in my team, so I would propose either Kiba or Shino to transfer. Though, Kiba might not be the best choice, as he is rather hot headed. And did not have a very good connection with the Uchiha boy at the academy either.."

"While the logic of the Aburame might even out the emotional instability of my team", Kakashi agreed.

Hiruzen nodded, then looking at Naruto. "Naruto, this is a rather unusual event, so I have to ask both you and Shino, if you can accept this transfer."

Naruto just shrugged. "Can't be much worse than it is right now, can it?", he replied. "Though you should tell her who I am.. She might want to learn the truth before she will regret this…", he added, as he nodded and left.

Hiruzen frowned. '_It's sad that team seven did not work out like I had hoped.. Kakashi was my first choice to look after Naruto, while Jiraiya is not available.. But Kurenai is capable enough with regard to genjutsu as well, even though she does not possess the sharingan.. I should tell her about the fox's only known weakness.'_

* * *

Kurenai's mind was still in turmoil from the meeting. After sharing a few S-ranked secrets, the Hokage had agreed that it would be best that he personally informed the Aburame, to avoid political repercussions. Aburame Shibi, Shino's father, had a rather prominent position in their clan. After they had left the Hokage's office, she had discussed Naruto with Kakashi. Kurenai smiled somewhat when she imagined how Hinata would react. The shy girl opened up a little to her, and Kurenai quickly found out about her feelings concerning Naruto. '_It might be a good change for Hinata as well'_. Now on her way to meet her team, she wondered how Shino would react.

"Kurenai-sensei", the three genin greeted, as she joined them. Kurenai had picked a small training ground, consisting of grassland and a large pond.

"Good afternoon", she greeted her students. "I apologize for being late like this.. The hokage called me away."

Shino nodded, "Hokage-sama has discussed the issue with me and my father as well."

"I see", Kurenai sighed. Why was it never clear what the boy was thinking? "In that case, I will explain what occurred."

* * *

Hinata was unsure what she had to feel. On one hand, she was overjoyed that Naruto would join her team, on the other hand, she was sad Shino had to leave.

The Aburame had stoically remarked that the transfer was merely logical, thus he had no reason to object. Hinata wondered if Shino was really that emotionless. Surely he would feel sad, she knew she would. Unless Shino did not like them? She could never really figure out what the silent boy was thinking. And with his clothing, reading his expression or body language was rather difficult as well.

Kiba was far easier to read. And he was not happy at all. He never really had any bond with Naruto, similar to most at the academy, but Hinata knew it was logical that he would prefer Shino, who he knew, over Naruto. Kurenai, on the other hand, seemed to think that Naruto would be an improvement to the team, even though she stated that she regretted that Shino left.

'_Maybe Naruto is at home, and I can ask him why he had to transfer_', Hinata thought. It was a bit annoying that Kurenai-sensei refused to explain what the 'incident' was which Shino had mentioned as the cause for this unusual transfer. Adults were always so secretive when it came to Naruto.. Breaking up genin teams which only operated for a few months, with only weeks before the chunin exams would begin, was rather unusual.

Hinata moved as quickly as she could without losing composure. Naruto would tell her, if she could muster the courage to ask him.

* * *

"That was quite the mission", Haruki said, very impressed after hearing Naruto's tale. "Zabuza, the demon of the hidden mist.. He was already around when I was a shinobi.. And I would have rather avoided someone like him, even when I was healthy."

Ako shuddered, knowing Haruki had been a jonin before he was forced to quit. "I'm glad you made it back alive, Naruto-kun".

Naruto scratched the back of his head, earning him the glare from Haruki he had expected. He shrugged. "Well, I'm just happy that the country of waves got rid of that Gato."

"Taking someone's life should not be an easy thing, Naruto", Haruki said softly, recognizing that Naruto hid his real emotions, as usual. The man believed that Naruto was burdened because he had killed. Killed so many.

"It seemed quite easy when I saw the things those scumbags did.. Though, I presume it would be somewhat different for someone like me.."

"How could you say that!", Ako spoke up. "You _saved_ those people, if you had not acted, how many others would have died?" Seeing Naruto was not convinced, she added "You should not think about the number of lives you took, but the number of lives you have saved. How many men and women now survived because of you? How many children?"

"Maybe.. But in the end, what did I achieve, just by eradicating a few.."

Chie raiser her head lazily. "Those two-legs were worse than scum. Think of it as if you removed the weed, in order to keep the crops healthy."

"But.."

"NO!", Ako half shouted. "Trash like them decided to kill others for something as stupid as money. Those greedy bastards got what they deserved! Those people were no different from.. You know.."

Taken aback by the outburst from the usually quiet and reserved Ako, Naruto realized how surprised he looked. "Perhaps", he admitted. "Ok, ok, you win, you win", he added when the girl wanted to continue.

Ako hmmpf-ed, causing Haruki to speak up, knowing the girl would not be easily stopped once being on a roll. As if she thought the same, Chie distracted Ako by jumping into her arms. Though the cat-like creature used to avoid all humans except for Naruto, she made an exception for Ako. She had an absolute loyalty to the one that feeded her. "What your teammate did was another thing though. I can't blame you for hitting him, personally, I would rather have stuck a kunai in his throat", Haruki said dryly.

"Well.. To be honest, I thought Sasuke hated me because of the Kyuubi, just like everyone else does", Naruto chuckled darkly. "Seems like I never experienced people hating me because of me. I guess the prison for the demon that nearly destroyed Konoha expects such behaviour", he added sarcastically.

Hinata froze as she walked by the window when she heard Naruto talk. She had hurried there to speak with him, but now she unwillingly was eavesdropping in a conversation she should not have heard. Her earlier happiness changed to horror. So this had been the truth that no one would talk about..

"Being thrown out again does annoy me a little though", Naruto continued. "I just felt like things were going a little smoother. I mean, Sasuke is Sasuke, but Sakura seemed to change a little and even acted nice at times. Not after the attack though, guess that terrified her quite a bit.. And seeing who I am… Geh, I guess the most surprising thing is that they even bother to transfer me. Like the others would behave differently if they saw me for what I am."

"Weren't you the one who told me that all you two-legs were different", Chie pointed out. "You should listen to yourself. And you said the white-eyed-two-leg-hime was different. Though the dog will obviously be an exception, it is merely logical to expect a dog to act stupid."

'_Naruto-kun talked about me?_', Hinata realized with a shock.

"Chie is right, Naruto", Haruki sighed. "Never give up the hope for a better future. Look at me, I already accepted my death, and I hardly cared about life until they dropped the responsibility of looking after you on me. I was just waiting for my end, and you suddenly made things enjoyable again. Except the part where I had to teach you proper etiquette.."

"Even if a few idiots act like that, doesn't mean everyone does. Hell, you know how scared I was when we first met, but that did not mean I turned out to hate you, right?", Ako added. "Not everyone is stupid enough to hate everything the once feared! And you said it yourself: Hinata-sama isn't as short-sighted as normal people are."

"You're right", Naruto sighed. "But still it.. Ah.. I think I'll just go for a little walk, some fresh air should clear my head. I need to think.."

"I understand Naruto, but don't take these things the wrong way. The hokage did this for your sake as well", Haruki argued.

"I know. But this mission.. Sometimes it is just like I'm slowly slipping away", Naruto admitted. "I once believed that you humans would start accepting me if I protected them.. But after this…"

"You're not slipping away", Ako said sharply. "Remember the good things you did. I certainly remember them. Don't give in, not because some prick judges you without knowing who you truly are. I know you are good, and I know every other person would have fallen into despair if they had only a small part of your burden."

"Thank you, Ako-san. But I'm going for a walk now, I see you guys at dinner, all right? Don't worry, I'm fine" Naruto walked out. '_But how would you react, Ako, if you had seen me that day, slaughtering those mercenaries?', _Naruto asked himself. _'Run away, like all you humans, or do something else?'_

Silence remained for a little while, and Hinata stood there like she was frozen solid. These were not the kind of things she was meant to hear. And certainly not what she wanted to hear.

"I'm not buying it", Haruki said. "No way that he is fine after that.."

"He has enough skill when it comes to lies", Chie added dryly. "He was raised with all you white-eyes after all.."

"I know that, but..", Ako agreed, "But what can we do… If I were his teammate, when I was there when he… Changes.."

"Do you know for sure that you could accept what you would see?", Haruki asked softly. "Especially if you had not known about his secret?"

"I've seen enough of Naruto to know that he can be trusted. More than most in this estate", Ako added sharply. She sighed and remained silent.

Haruki's eyes suddenly widened in shokck when Chie spoke up. "Hinata-sama, would you care to join us?"

"What?", Ako said, and closed the window when Haruki pointed at it. They waited for the genin to enter the cottage. "I guess you heard most of it?", Ako said with a grimace.

Hinata nodded, her face had paled due to the shock, so for once she could not blush while being embarrassed. "I- I- I apologize Ako-san. I d-did not mean to… To hear.. I heard N-Naruto-kun talk about.. about.." Tears filled her eyes. "Why him?", she exclaimed. "Why?"

"I see..", Haruki sighed. "Though unfortunate, this might be for the best as well. At least now you know about some of the things Naruto did for the sake of the village. Or should I say: was forced to do. Now Naruto told you, even though indirectly, the Hokage's law no longer forbids me from telling you. Though I am sure that Hiashi-sama will not like this, either.. But you must know the truth. But I beg of you: please keep this knowledge to yourself for now."

Haruki rubbed his head, punishing his mind how to say this in the best way possible.

"When Naruto was a baby, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. We all know that the yondaime hokage defeated it, but fewer know that he could not kill it. A demon like that is beyond a human's ability to destroy, so all he could do was to seal the creature away. This way, it could not hurt people again. For some reason, the Yondaime picked Naruto. Though the Hokage tries to keep this knowledge as restricted as possible, there are enough people out there who know. And the opinions of the people who either know or suspect, affect the others. That is why everyone hates Naruto. That is why he was so isolated, why he was thrown from one orphanage to the other when he was a child. Not that people openly acted against him, but there were some 'accidents',and Naruto is smart enough to see through another's façade."

"People are too stupid to see that it is Naruto who protects us all from that monster", Ako hissed. "And despite all they did to him, he still does his duty. And while we could see the hatred that attacked him from the outside, we know nothing about what the Kyuubi does." The young woman started to pace around, her anger obvious, despite the Hyuga's usual preference to keep up a neutral mask. She still held Chie in her arms, but had stopped petting her.

"Hinata-sama, I guess you came here because you know about Naruto's transfer?", Haruki guessed, waiting for the girl to nod.

"Then as a teammate, please help Naruto. He has been rejected for nearly all his life.. It pains me to see that he feels rejected again, and yet again because of something which is not his fault…"

"What should I do?", Hinata asked, trying to wipe away her tears. Futile, as new tears flowed down just as fast as she wiped. "What can I do?", she sniffled.

Ako looked torn. "Be strong, and be there for him, listen to him. Don't push him to tell you things he doesn't want to share though. He will probably tell you himself when he thinks the time is right. What he needs now is to feel some trust from others.."

"Now that you know, do you see the boy, or the monster?", Chie asked. "Do you see Naruto, or the Kyuubi?"

"W-Why would I… Naruto-kun can't help that the demon was sealed inside him! Why would I blame him?"

'_Good, perhaps this two-leg has the potential to save him..'_, Chie thought as the girl continued to mutter her answer to the cat's question. "If you truly feel like that, I will help you to find Naruto. That two-leg is the one who saved me. And now he does no long listen to reason. Yes, sickly-two-leg, you should have heard the despair in his voice too", Chie added when she saw the man look. "When logic and reason fail, perhaps emotion can still convince him."

"Of what? What are you playing at?", Ako asked.

Chie sighed. "What happens when people continuously reject you, and refuse to accept that you are one of them? If it happens long enough, you will estrange yourself from your surroundings. Didn't you just hear him talking about 'you humans'? What would happen if Naruto saw himself as a demon? What if his will was broken, while that is the most important thing to keep the demon at bay?"

"But he knows..", Ako protested.

"He _knows_", Chie said pointedly, "He knows hat he is not the Kyuubi. But that does not mean he sees himself as a human being. Besides, knowing is not the same as feeling."

"You mean..", Haruki sighed. "I.. You might be right, Chie."

"What do you mean?", Hinata voiced her confusion.

"Whenever Naruto wants to be alone, he goes to a certain training ground. Chie will guide you", Haruki replied. "Perhaps you can convince him that not all humans hate him. That he should still have hope. Maybe you succeed where we could not, Hinata-sama."

Hinata nodded, not trusting her voice despite her determination.

* * *

'_Maybe Ako-san is right. Maybe I should feel a little pride for what I did'_, Naruto mused. He was sitting on a branch of a huge tree, just a bit past the border of training ground 44, one of his favourite places around Konoha. The forest of death, a fitting place for a demon to relax..

Because the area was closed off, and forbidden to enter, Naruto had been curious. That is why he entered it, roughly a year ago. He was not bothered by the creatures living there, as they usually fled when they noticed him. So this area was a place of tranquillity to him.

No humans around to disturb him.

No one who could bother him, or give him one of the cold hateful glares he got so accustomed to. Even though the Hyuga place had been his home for a long time now, it was also rather crowded. And people who could look through walls gave him the impression he had little privacy. Despite the general rule amongst the clan members to not misuse the byakugan indoors. The penalties on indecent behaviour were quite high.

'_I guess trusting people has never been my strongest point.. Not that there are a lot who gave me the chance to do so. Jiisan, Jiraiya, Haruki-san, and Ako-san', _mentally listing the four people who he had opened up to during his life. '_And perhaps there are some others crazy enough..'_

Naruto laughed at his idea. '_Yeah right, why would I even dream of it.. This is not some bullshit story where friends magically appear from nowhere. I accepted that I am not human, so why would I expect a humane treatment from a human? Since when would a human treat something inhuman as me as its equal? When it cannot even treat its fellow humans equally?'_

Pondering over what he should do now he got removed from team 7, he wondered how his new team would react. They had worked together for a few months now, so they would probably treat him like an outsider. Worse yet, they could hold him responsible for taking Shino away from them.

'_I am an idiot. I should have run away a long time ago, leave this shitty place and start over somewhere far away._' Naruto sighed.

'_But then what… It would be a matter of time before they made me a missing nin, and send anbu or hunter nins after me. And bounty hunters… It would exclude the possibility to live a life as a civilian, as my chakra would give me away. Seeking refuge in other hidden village is also not a real option either. They would probably either imprison me because I'm from Konoha, even if they would not know about the Kyuubi.'_

No, his best option would probably to live in the wild, all alone. With no humans around to pester him.

As Naruto thought on that, he heard the sounds of hunting tigers. '_If only I could live a carefree life as those tigers_', Naruto started thinking. _'Just spend my time hunting and eating.. Just me against the world, without all the confusion of other people around me. That would be peacefull, I think…'_

Listening to the tigers, he suddenly noticed a female voice calling out for help.

* * *

Hinata looked around her and saw death. Giant, hungry tigers had surrounded her. Though she and Chie, in her large form, had managed to disable a few, she knew they were no match. Jumping into the trees was no option either, they would attack her the moment she would have to let her defence down to jump. Besides, even though Chie was now in her larger form, her injury would prevent her from climbing.

Chie growled at their opponenents, annoyed that she had been caught off guard.

"Someone, help me", Hinata screamed in desperation.

'W_ho am I kidding, why would someone risk his life to save a failure like me.._', she thought bitterly as the closest tiger jumped..

.. To be smacked into a nearby tree.

Naruto had come.

"Naruto-kun", the terrified girl mumbled, before everything went dark.

* * *

The presence of the Kyuubi, a vastly superior predator compared to them, was enough to convince the tigers to abandon their hunt. Like all other creatures, they either ran away in fear, or submitted themselves to Naruto.

"One of the few advantages of that damned fox", Naruto mumbled darkly, as he looked down at his unconscious teammate-to-be. "Why the hell was she here? Did she follow me?", he asked her companion.

"Looking for you", Chie panted, changing back to her smaller form. "She wanted to speak with you, seeing how she became your teammate.. Ugh, those damned tigers", she looked at the cut on her left thigh. Not even mentioning the exhaustion she felt because she had to transform and fight in her larger from.

Naruto took them both to a nearby clearing, next to a little spring. Using the cold water to clear the few cuts she had, Naruto was relieved that none of the wounds Hinata had suffered were deep enough to cause trouble. Not that they would disappear in a few hours, like with him, but even for a normal human these wounds should only be a minor inconvenience. Chie just said that she needed sleep, while she focussed her chakra on speeding up her recovery.

While washing the blood out of his shirt, which had used to clean Hinata up with, Naruto noticed the mud that was still on Hinata's face. Unfortunately, she decided to wake up the moment he cleaned her face.

Seeing the boy hanging over her, with his bare chest, was enough for her to get her blood flowing again. All of it. Instantly.

"Na- Na- Naruto-kun", she stuttered. She backed away when she saw him frown.

"Why?", he asked, completely serious despite what had just happened.

"Why?", she asked confused.

He pointed at her. "Why are you here!? This place is dangerous!"

"I.. um.. I saw H- Haruki-san.. C-Chie-san…", she uttered. "I s-saw you w-walk away, I t-thought you l-looked so t-troubled..."

"Not really a reason to risk your life for, is it?", Naruto said, raising his brows.

"Why not? You… You are my t- teammate now.. K-Kurenai-sensei taught us we should look after our teammates." She hid her real reasoning.

"I am hardly your team member, and it has yet to become official. _If_ Shino even agrees, that is", Naruto grimaced. Naruto waited a bit, while she struggled to answer. "But I guess Kurenai-sensei told you guys. Hmm, though it would have made sense if you came after me to ask me to refuse this transfer thing, I guess that's not the point either. You could either just have waited for me to run away, or give me the final push, instead of risking your life."

Hinata blushed, "R-r-refuse? Run away? Why.. I- I- don't… Don't want you to leave". Naruto's hollow laughter lit a fire in her, larger than she had ever anticipated. "I am serious", she said firmly while hitting his chest.

The combination of laughing and the exhaustion he felt due not sleeping properly from to all the frustration of the previous days caused the minor push to be enough for him to lose balance and fall into the spring behind him. Splashing in the shallow water, he regained his balance and got out. Only for him to burst out in laughter again, this time real laughter, because of the look Hinata had.

"If that is your order, Hinata-sama", he said, she frowned. "-san. Thank you." He grinned weakly, seeing her confusion. Apparently she couldn't decide which emotion she wanted to show on her face, so she just showed them all.

"I.. I didn't o-order you to.."

"So tell me, why don't you want me to abandon Konoha?", he asked, catching her off guard.

Hinata tried not to blush, even though she felt what little confidence she had just gained slip away again. "I.. W-why would I w-w-want you to leave?", she shyly riposted.

"Why?", Naruto frowned. "Why not? Pretty much everyone hates me, so why wouldn't you?"

"You… You saved me", Hinata mumbled. "And even if everyone hates you, doesn't mean that they are right.. I believe they are all wrong!"

Hinata almost shuddered when she looked into Naruto's eyes. He seemed to wonder if she was serious, but all she saw was the coldness in his eyes. The bright and gentle twinkle she sometimes saw, had vanished and was replaced by a pensive and distant look. She saw his chakra.. Grim and unrelenting as the scorching sun in mid summer. Where had the brightness and gentleness gone?

"And what would you do if they were right?", Naruto said softly. "Would you run away, and hate me too?"

"No! I.. I don't believe… You would never do something that could justify any hatred.. You… B-because you are not.. Y-you are too gentle", she decided.

Hinata's blush grew redder and redder while Naruto stared at her. "Hinata… I am not kind or gentle or anything. I'm a shinobi, I do whatever I.."

"You would never hurt someone who is innocent", Hinata cut him off. "You saved me, and Chie, and who knows who else! I m-may not be very talented, but I can see enough."

Naruto sighed. '_Maybe I should give team 8 a chance.. Not like I have somewhere else to go. Freedom… I will only be free if I get killed. No matter where I go, I can never escape what I am. And perhaps taking revenge would be more fun?'_, Naruto mused, imagining how the village would be if he removed all those who hated him.'_Besides, I've been ordered..'_

One of the tigers had cut her leg, and Naruto did not want to waste time. So Naruto decided to carry Hinata, while a bunshin carried Chie, so they could travel fast. He had picked her up before she could protest. Carrying her in his arms, they jumped over the trees and the rooftops.

Not that Hinata experienced all of it, as she picked up her old habit of fainting again.

* * *

Seeing her student in bandages the day after certainly caused her to raise her brow. Kurenai had called together her reformed team in order to do a new round of introduction.

"Welcome, Naruto. I'd like us to do a little round of introductions, so you know a little more about us. We never really got to know each other during our previous mission together. I will start: my name is Yuhi Kurenai, I am 28 years old, and a jonin specialized in genjutsu. Though I also learned some fuinjutsu", she added, causing him some surprise.

"I am H-Hyuga Hinata, twelve, and a genin trained in my clan's ta-taijutsu-style, the gentle fist."

"Inuzuka Kiba", the boy said on a bored tone. "Akamaru", he pointed at the yipping dog on top of his head."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked around, not sure if the jonin was serious about this. "Uzumaki Naruto, twelve."

"Kakashi warned me that I should interrogate you thoroughly regarding your abilities, unless I wanted to be surprised all of the time", Kurenai smiled.

"If that is what you wish.. I have affinities with both fuiton and katon jutsu's..", Naruto sighed, not very interested in this. And not really willing to spill all his secrets.

"Two elements?", Kiba frowned, dropping his indifferent act.

"Err.. Yes?, Naruto shrugged. "Wind and fire jutsus are the easiest for me. Tried the others as well, but that's much more difficult. Anyway, I also know a numbers of seals and barriers, mostly based of the techniques I inherited from my clan, and.."

"Your clan?" Hinata asked in surprise, feeling a bit foolish that she had never taken the time to do some research on Naruto's heritage. Then again, Hinata had a strong dislike towards the whole bloodline-obsession that most shinobi had.

"Yeah, seems like the Uzumaki clan was specialized in fuinjutsu. Not that it saved them from extinction", Naruto frowned. "Were was I.. Hmm besides the regular jutsu from academy, I also have the kage bunshin no jutsu, as well as the taju variant of it. Oh yeah, I have a summoning contract with the toads."

Kurenai whistled. "That's quite a list, no wonder Kakashi-sempai was surprised.. How is your chakra control?" She knew she wouldn't have to ask about his chakra reserves, knowing it would be seemingly endless.

'_Kakashi was surprised? I thought that indifferent bastard never gave a damn about me', _Naruto frowned. "I know the tree-climbing, water walking, and several other control exercises. Won't say I'm as good as Hinata-sama, but at least I don't suck as much as most."

Hinata felt embarrassed that Naruto saw her as being superior to him when it came to control. "Plus, you have enormous chakra reserves", she added.

"An advantage of the Uzumaki", Kurenai added quickly, not wanting to talk about the Kyuubi. "Could you explain a few of the seals you know, Naruto?"

Naruto sighed, accepting that he could not get away from this that easiliy.

"Well, the most useful is the stealth seal, which basically removes my presence to others. A few offensive seals relate to the fire element, such as the immolation seal which melts away or the infernal seal that blows things up. Another seal enables me to increase the weight of objects. A variation of that seal enables me to increase the gravitation in a small area for a few moments. Not really useful yet, but I'm working on it", Naruto rubbed his chin.

Naruto frowned, and continued almost monotonously. "The sentry seal is useful for noticing intruders, also tweaked it so it can function as the cornerstones for a barrier wall." Pausing for a moment, Naruto felt a litte embarrassed because of the amazed looks of the others. "I also know the basics of counterseals, which are seals that could trap other seals. Not very stable till now though, I almost blew up Ichiraku's once, when I tried to use it on my own infernal seal", he smiled weakly at the memory.

"I also study other things, such as the basics of a seal which should function as a marker for the shunshin jutsu. I still screw up with the accuracy though." He shuddered for a moment, "I only practice that one with bunshin and in the open field, I don't want to get stuck in a wall or something.."

Hinata looked a bit greenish at the idea.

"I guess there is little I can teach you on fuinjutsu", Kurenai added thoughtfully. She doubted if Kakashi even asked him what he could do, or else he would have been even more impressed. "I could teach you the seals for storing weapons, food, and drinking water though. Can I ask how you learned all this?"

"Well, that old guy, Jiraiya, taught me quite a bit, and he gave me a large collection of Uzumaki scrolls and books. With the use of some kage bunshin, it is pretty easy to speed up the rate at which I read and learn them. Well, it still took me a few years..", Naruto added with a pensive look.

"And your taijutsu?", Kurenai asked. "And weapons training?"

"My taijutsu is average at best, though the morning trainings I followed with the team of the jonin Maito Gai improved my skills a bit. I still think I have to work on my speed though. As for weapons.. I never really trained much with them.."

'_Gai? Maito Gai would never take in a student unless he saw a large potential in him.._', Kurenai considered. "Well.. I suggest we use today to train, so that we can learn to know each other's abilities a bit better, alright?"

"How did you learn all that shit anyway?", Kiba demanded.

"I told you, kage bunshin", Naruto shrugged, not understanding why Kiba asked.

"What about bunshin?", Kiba frowned. "Why would those things help?"

Naruto sighed. "_Kage_ bunshin no jutsu is different from the regular bunshin no jutsu. What ever a kage bunshin experiences will be transmitted back to its user when the jutsu is ended."

As Kiba tried to figure this out, never having been very talented when it came to studying theory behind jutsus, Kurenai took the word. "Why don't you create a few clones so you can spar with Hinata and Kiba?", Kurenai suggested.

"A few?", Naruto raised one brow. "What, ten? Twenty?"

"Idiot, if you create that many, they would be too weak to fight us", Kiba scoffed, trying to save his pride after not understanding the kage bunshin previously.

"Really? Why?", Naruto seemed truly surprised.

'_He probably doesn't even feel the strain it creates on his chakra reserves.. But still, to talk so casual about such a technique… That ability of him would be useful if I want to train them to fight against superior numbers',_ Kurenai mused. "Two should do for now, Naruto. These are just one on one duels, only light hits, so no injuries. You duel me", she added.

* * *

"Ah just stop it", Inuzuka Tsume scolded her son.

"Why? He _is_ hiding something", Kiba replied with an annoyed tone.

"So you have repeated now, for the last fifteen minutes", his sister added. "But everyone hides _something_. Like in that drawer.."

"Shut it Hana!", he growled before being hit.

"Quiet, both of you", Tsume barked. "Hana is right, we all have secrets. Obviously, I can't tell you all I know about the boy, but will tell you the Hyuga took him in a couple of years ago. They may be idiots but they see danger just as well as we can smell it."

"He _does_ smell dangerous", Kiba replied darkly.

* * *

"Problems?", Kakashi asked upon seeing Kurenai's frown.

"Not really… But.. Changing teams so shortly before the exams is a bit troublesome", she admitted.

"You've gained an excellent genin", Gai boasted. "It is too bad he can't join my morning exercises anymore though. Both Lee and Tenten cooperated very well with him, despite his… Well, reputation."

"Training teamwork should be the focus now", Kakashi sighed, supporting Kurenai's judgement. "Sadly, that also means another load of D-ranked missions… Especially because of Sasuke's behaviour. At least Shino fits better in the group."

"I bet", Kurenai smiled. "Shino may be very silent, but he is quite talented. Speaking of which, do you two have any idea what Naruto's potential is?"

Kakashi frowned, but Gai was the first to speak. "Naruto-kun… He has his burdens, and is rather secretive, so I cannot speak for what he will become… But if he develops well enough, I believe he could easily attain hokage-level strength."

"At least", Kakashi agreed. "He is quite unusual for a genin. True, the Kyuubi increases his strength by quite a margin, but still… The rate at which he progresses is astounding. But I worry what the influence of the Kyuubi will be."

"He seems rather distant", Gai mused. "As if he does not care about the people around him… Rather unyouthful. He is polite, but never really opens up. Though, Tenten said he started to talk a little more recently.. But that was before.. You know.."

"We've done a couple of missions now", Kurenai said. "Most of the time he just seems uninterested, but when he acts… I doubt that most of our chunin could handle him. Even many of the jonin would have troubles…"

"He still is weak when it comes to teamwork", Kakashi said on a serious tone. "I wouldn't say that he is arrogant, but like you said… Uninterested, both in his allies, and his enemies. It would almost make you wonder if he even cares about his own survival."

Kurenai grimaced. "Containing that demon forced his development to speed up at greater rate than I have ever seen.."

"There have been some exceptional talents in Konoha in the past", Kakashi countered. "But I admit that they are very rare.. Perhaps Itachi, or my old sensei.."

"But if Naruto can keep his mental stability, he surely will be an incredible asset to Konoha", Gai blinded his fellow jonin with his smile. Somehow, the green-clad jonin always managed to reflect sunlight with his teeth, even when standing inside a building. As if his enthusiasm was enough to bend the laws of nature.

* * *

Naruto scowled. "What is wrong, Naruto? You do understand we need some D-rank missions first to get adjusted to the new team, do you?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah, I know", Naruto sighed, "But they should make that damned cat A or B rank, not D." When the others looked at him, he scowled again. "Had to capture the damn thing several times now, it always keeps running away from me."

Kiba smirked. "Cats are dumb animals, unlike dogs." Akamaru yipped happily. "But this one is easy to catch, just put Hinata down there and the cat jumps in her arms."

'_Never let Chie hear you, Kiba..',_ Naruto frowned. '_She would claw your eyes out.. If she's in a good mood..'_

In the end, both were right. Naruto had to keep himself at a distance, so that the cat could jump into Hinata's arms. Once there, even though unhappy about Naruto's presence, the creature refused to move. This in turn caused some irritation for the cat's owner. Tora the cat was not willing to leave the safety of Hinata's arms, even if it was to return to the firelord's wife, who owned the cat.

After the whole Zabuza thing, Naruto had almost forgotten how boring normal D-rank missions were.

* * *

'_Finally the day is over_', Naruto grumbled as he walked back home.

"E-Ehm…N-Naruto-kun?"

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata blushed. "Please.. N-No honorifics… We're t-teammates now, right?", she asked shyly.

"May be, but your social standing is still above my own", Naruto countered. "But what bothers you?"

"I.. Ehm… D-do you… I mean…"

Naruto raised one brow, which only made her stutter worse, though she eventually managed to ask whether he liked his new team.

"Kurenai-sensei has a vastly different approach to training her genin, compared to Kakashi-sensei", Naruto remarked. "Almost seems like she genuinely cares about us. Though she seems to be a little afraid of making us train too hard… But that could just be me, because I am used to Gai-sensei as well…"

"B-but… Y-you seemed troubled at first, Naruto-kun."

Naruto shrugged. "It's no big deal, whatever happened, I've already passed that." Hinata knew that Naruto usually hid his emotions very well, but she could pretty easily see through this lie.

"But why… What happened between Sasuke-kun and.."

"Sasuke-teme believed he needed to kill the enemy. I stood in-between, but he didn't care", Naruto sighed. "Though, it is safe to say that we did not like each other anyway."

"I know", Hinata said downcast, remembering the incidental conflicts both boys had during their academy years. "B-but why did it… Why did it affect you so much? Did the mission.. Was that the…"

'_What is she after?',_ Naruto wondered. '_Normally, she hardly dares to talk to me, and now she is interrogating me?'_

"The mission turned badly, yes", Naruto decided what he wanted to tell. "We presumed it was a C-rank mission, but it turned out to be an A-rank mission."

"D-did you have to.. Kill.. Kill people?"

Naruto was somewhat surprised at the question. "Sure, but we had to. It was either us killing them, or the other way around", Naruto shrugged. "Not that it was fun", he added upon seeing Hinata's distraught expression. '_Killing people is never fun.. But unfortunately it is unavoidable..'_

"I.. Uhm.."

"Hinata-sama, we are shinobi.. We have to endure whatever the mission throws at us. And because of human nature, we have to do terrible things to protect those who deserve protection. If I hadn't stopped those mercenaries in the Land of Waves, they would have pillaged, raped, and murdered. If those are my options, I prefer spilling blood, rather than turning away. I could only make a choice for the least evil way to solve the problem." Naruto frowned. _'Besides, they were merely humans..'_

"Tsk.. Don't be so harsh on her, stupid two-leg", a voice sounded. Chie graciously jumped down a nearby building. "White-eyed-two-leg-hime was merely curious because she's worried about you."

"C-Chie..", Hinata tried to protest, her head red with embarrassment. "I didn't.. Wouldn't.."

"Well, we're teammates, Chie", Naruto said, oblivious to the fact that Hinata was fidgeting with her index-fingers, something which she always did when she was _very _embarrassed.

"Sure", Chie said mischievously. "Though, the princess is at least a bit more subtle than Pinky."

"Subtle?", Naruto asked, confused.

"Ehmm.. I hope you… Please don't mind Kiba.. He is a bit.. Surprised because of the change", Hinata desperately tried to change the subject, having an idea about which direction Chie was pointing at. And with success, as she knew Chie absolutely disliked their teammate and his dog, Akamaru.

"Ugh, rudeness is normal for dogs. And clearly the two-leg is infected with the dog-brain-sickness."

Naruto smirked. "Don't be so vicious, cat."

"Do you want my nails in your shoulder again?"

"No, Chie-sama", the boy mocked her by imitating her voice. "But I more or less expected Kiba's reaction, knowing him", he continued before Chie made her threat reality.

"B-but..", Hinata seemed rather down.

"Stop your worrying!", Naruto faked a smile. "As long as Kiba doesn't try to kill me, things have improved compared to team seven, right?"

* * *

"Mother..", Hinata started. "I.."

"What's wrong, Hinata?", Hitomi smiled gently.

"I.. I heard Naruto-kun talk the other day… And.. I know now."

"Know what?", Hitomi frowned, hoping that she interpreted her daughter's body language wrong.

"T-That Naruto-kun has something sealed inside him… The demon", Hinata almost whispered. "Why didn't you tell me, mother?"

"Hinata…", Hitomi was glad that Hiashi was not around when their daughter seemed to break down. "Naruto carries a great burden. It is a secret, and if I had told you I would have committed a crime punishable by death."

Hinata paled a little. "I.. I didn't know.. I.."

"But now that you know, do you fear Naruto-kun?", Hitomi asked, curious what the effect would be. She knew very well how her daughter felt about the boy, and doubted that even the Kyuubi could change much about that.

"No!", Hinata protested. "Naruto-kun can't help.. He is not the demon!"

"Precisely", her mother replied with some pride noticeable. "But many do not know the distinction."

"You.. Does father know about it as well?"

"Of course he does. We knew before we accepted Naruto as our clan's honoured guest. Listen, Hinata, I will not lie to you and say that Naruto-kun is not dangerous. He has a terrible burden, and is hated by both the people outside and the demon inside… I doubt many people would have remained as sane as Naruto-kun still is."

"But Naruto-kun…"

"Do not be mistaken, Hinata", her mother corrected her gently. "Naruto-kun might seem strong, but if you pay close attention, you too will see that he is merely hiding his suffering. Has he ever shown his real emotions?"

"What.. How..", Hinata blushed.

"Hinata, remember your lessons. People will always hide part of who they truly are." Hinata nodded, and Hitomi continued. "And Naruto has never learned to trust others. He was truly alone, before he started living here. And even with us, he barely opened up. Even to my cousin."

Hinata nodded again, remembering how he always acted during the academy. "Naruto-kun smiles sometimes when he talks to others.. But when he thinks nobody is looking at him… It feels like that… The distance has only grown."

"Naruto-kun probably feels rejected by his old team, and is probably hesitant to trust his new team", Hitomi smiled sadly. "But now that you know… I know you can't tell Kiba-kun, but you could support Naruto-kun whenever he needs it, right?"

"Yes!", Hinata said with a glimmer of confidence that even Hitomi rarely saw in her daughter. Not for the first time Hitomi felt disappointed she could not protect her own daughter against all the rumors within their clan. On the other hand, protection would only make her weaker. Hitomi knew like no other that the world becomes a harsh place when you are trained to look through deception.

The woman smiled at her daughter, deciding that Hinata could only grow because of this, if only she was pointed in the right direction. "But remember… This subject is difficult for Naruto-kun. Don't try forcing him to talk about it. Just listen to him when he wants to talk."

Hinata nodded with a serious face. "I will try my best, mother."

'_That good natured-two-leg..'_, Chie thought, sitting on the other side of the door, unnoticed by mother and daughter. '_Perhaps she can indeed save Naruto-sama… Her big, gentle heart might figure out a way to help him close the gaps in his heart.'_

* * *

After she ordered Kiba to spar with an oddly subdued Hinata, Kurenai focussed her attention on her new student. "Naruto", she started. "Before we start, I would like to ask you something."

"Sensei?"

"Your dream.. How do you intend to become Hokage?"

"The hokage is the strongest of Konoha", the boy frowned. "The champion of the village. That's how: I will become the strongest, so that people can't help but acknowledge me."

"Becoming Hokage concerns more than just brute strength, Naruto."

"Yeah, but politics won't be in my favour anyway. I know what I am.. If I want to become the hokage, I will have to fight an uphill battle. That's why I train. One day, my strength will become great enough to render all that political crap useless… Words do not defeat any opponent."

"Politics also prevents conflict", Kurenai frowned. "Do you think you can use your strength to rule?"

Naruto laughed hollowly. "You mean if I plan to dominate the village by force, to become a dictator?", the smile vanished and his blue eyes became cold and hard like ice. "I know what it is to be afraid of others, sensei. I will change this world. But do not expect me to be evil because of that fox. I want to end this system which creates outcasts. A system which encourages isolation and loneliness, merely because not everyone is equal. Where clans can create their own private worlds, isolated from their surroundings in their own pride and arrogance… Degrading those who not belong to their group to second-rate shinobi.."

"You want revenge?"

"Why would I want that?", Naruto asked with a completely surprised tone. "Sure, it would be amusing", he chuckled. "But it would not change the fact that these things have already happened. I'd rather make sure that it will never happen again. That is what I will fight for. Even if I stand on my own, someone has to make those stupid humans see what they are doing."

'_He always talks about humans as if he is not human himself..'_, Kurenai realized. '_Though, at least his intensions are better than I had expected. Not that they will give him many supporters within the current government.'_

"Right. Then my next question is: why do you ignore teamwork?", Kurenai shifted the boys attention from his individual effort to his team. "During the last week, you mostly worked on your own whenever you got the chance. I know Kiba's attitude is not exactly… Constructive. But at least listen to Hinata."

Naruto grimaced for a second, but regained his neutral face so quickly that Kurenai questioned her own eyesight. "I've always worked alone", he said on an even tone. "And people seem to prefer it that way, so that they can avoid me."

Kurenai frowned, somewhat distraught by his answer. Surely his former team did not treat him that badly, did they? '_Then again.. Kakashi-sempai has seen too much. Asuma mentioned that that was the reason why he had quit anbu.'_

"Well, in team eight you will have to work together with your teammates. And if any of them complain about you, I'll make them change their opinions about you. Like I said against the Hokage that day, team eight lacked power, and I am convinced that you can compensate for that, Naruto."

"Power shouldn't be a problem", Naruto said darkly. "Or perhaps it will be, when they see the chakra which that fox gives me", he nodded to his teammates.

"Things will be differently this time", Kurenai promised him. "Shall we start?"

Naruto dropped into his fighting stance. Naruto's taijutsu, which was decent but not great, had elements of both the Hyuga's juken, and the goken-style he learned from Gai. _'Typical for Naruto to show his creativity even in taijutsu_', Kurenai smiled. '_And his creativity and planning make up for his lack in speed as well.'_

* * *

**A/N: **Actually, I originally planned Naruto to be in team 8 anyway. But, over time, his interactions with Sasuke became vital to the storyline. Should I let him be in team 7, or 8? In the end I chose to improvise and create something entirely different from the regular flow that most stories seem to follow. I don't know if this choice was the best option, but I liked it. I hope you all do too!

Writing about the transition to another team, Hinata's shock and her thoughts, and also Naruto's struggle with the question whether he is human or demon at the same time was a bit taxing though. But for now… Let's wait and see if kind Kurenai, blunt Kiba, and gentle Hinata can pull Naruto out of his depression!

-Z-


	10. Bandit

**Bandit**

* * *

"A bandit was reported to have harassed several travellers. I want your team to deal with this bandit", the Hokage briefed them. "Though armed, there is little reason to believe that the man responsible is a threat, hence the C classification."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama", Kurenai said, accepting the scroll with the mission details. "Gather your equipment, we meet at the gates in one hour", she ordered her genin.

* * *

Having travelled to the northwest for several hours, team 8 halted for the day. Next to a mountain, they had found a clearing amidst the forest, and next to a small river. It was a nice place to set up a camp, even though they could have travelled for another hour.

Kurenai watched as Naruto deployed several clones, gathering wood, food, and water for his teammates. Not that the original was doing much, as he was playing with a water balloon. "What's with the balloon", she eventually decided to ask him. Hinata also popped up, revealing her curiosity.

"Mehh, some strange exercise given to me by Jiraiya-sensei", Naruto shrugged. In these cases he always referred to the pervert as his sensei. "The old man may be strange, but I can't deny his skill."

"He _is_ one of the legendary three", Kurenai smiled, already having heard from Kakashi that the sannin had taken an interest in the genin's development. "But what does he want you to do?"

Naruto bit his thumb, and placed his hand on the ground. A small orange frog appeared. "Yo, what's up?", it croacked.

"What was the point of the water balloon thing again?", Naruto asked him, barely even interrupting his focus on the balloon.

The frog sighed. "Something about rotation, you had to make the water spin so that the balloon popped, and after that you had to try the rubber balls, and then empty rubber balloons without popping 'em".

"You see?", Naruto put down his balloon and turned towards his new sensei and teammate. "That's what ero sennin told Gamakichi. He did not explain, so we don't know either." Turning back to Kichi again, "Care to practice today?"

"No thanks, pops just called me and Tatsu over, for training. Tomorrow?" The toad vanished after Naruto had nodded.

"So you communicate with Jiraiya-sama through toads?", Kuranai remarked with an impressed tone.

"Yeah there is that as well, though Gamakichi and I also play card games and train our jutsu's. I can also summon the larger toads during fights.. A toad with the size of an apartment block really packs a punch."

Hinata smiled at the casual way Naruto spoke of such techniques. "Does that jutsu require a lot of chakra to use?"

"Hmm depends, initially I had trouble summoning a tadpole, but when I finally understood the technique, most of the frogs were pretty easy to summon. If they agreed, at least. The big ones, like Kichi's dad, took a whole lot more. Summoning Gamabunta almost killed me the first time", Naruto scratched the back of his head, "though part of that was because he tried to eat me".

"Eat you?", Kurenai exclaimed.

"Yup. Bunta is the boss of the toads, so he is pretty proud. He didn't like having a kid like me on the top of his head", Naruto shrugged. "It took Jiraiya quite some effort to calm him down. So, does anyone else have summoning contracts?"

"No, Naruto, that is not something which is very common", Kurenai smiled. "Though I believe the Hyuga have a contract, Hinata?"

"Our clan has, but I am not yet worthy to earn the contract", the white-eyed girl responded with a sad voice.

"Stop underestimating yourself like that", Kiba growled, jumping down near them. "It's not your fault your clan is filled with idiots."

Naruto looked at him. "Haven't heard about that contract before, a main family thing?"

"The contract is rarely invoked", Hinata said softly, "I believe that the party usually refuses to be summoned, so we rarely talk about it.."

Naruto frowned, knowing that summoning contracts were rather complicated. The Hyuga must either have violated the terms of the contract, or the creatures which had to be summoned were untrustworthy. Naruto stored it away, so he could ask Chie about it when they came back home. "Anyway, should I place some sentry seals, now we are all here?"

He stalked off after Kurenai gave him a nod. _'Even though he separated himself for others like this.. It is remarkable that he stayed this good, considering what everyone did to him_', she thought. She noticed Hinata's eyes, which followed the boy. Perhaps she and Naruto would have to spar more regularly, could form a good exercise for her to increase her chakra reserves. And a good way for them to get closer. But first something to eat.

* * *

"So the bandit is around here, sensei", Kiba asked.

"Based on the information we have, yes. A black haired man wielding a katana, average body size, robs travellers in this area", Kurenai explained.

"So what will we do?", Hinata asked.

"You and Naruto set up camp over there, next to that hill. Kiba, Akamaru, and I will scout out the area. We should be able to pick up his scent."

As the three ran off, Hinata turned towards Naruto. She quickly followed him, as he was already moving, sending out a dozen of clones to gather supplies, and ordering another dozen to set up traps near their campsite. "Do you think he will attack us here, Naruto-kun?"

"Doubtful, but just in case. If the guy has any brains he'll figure out we are not easy targets, so we will have to track him down, while he will try to avoid us."

"I suppose you are right", she stumbled.

Naruto looked at her. "What do you mean? If I do something wrong, just say so", he said. "I mean, it's not like I care if that guy is stupid enough to attack us. Kiba and Akamaru wouldn't be defeated, and you would just zap him before he knows what happened to him."

"Zap?"

"I saw your juken a few times", Naruto shrugged. "Probably as fast as Neji-san is, though I think he has the advantage in reach and power. But he's a year older, so.."

"Neji-niisan is a genius in juken", Hinata said downcast. "He was probably holding back when you.."

"Nope, Hizashi-sama doesn't give him the opportunity to hold back." Naruto frowned, "Kiba is right, you should have a little more confidence in your skills. You did better than me during academy."

Hinata blushed when he put his hand on her shoulder. He smiled, but his blue eyes still seemed distant to her. Now that she knew what he was hiding, she understood that this was not because of her.

"Here", he said, throwing her a water balloon. He created another set of clones to put up the two tents. "According to what Kichi explained to me, I had to make the water spin around at high speed, only using my chakra, and make the balloon pop."

Hinata activated her byakugan as he demonstrated what he thought had to be done. "Emm.. Naruto-kun, the water is only spinning one direction, while the balloon is too elastic to pop from it."

He frowned and looked at her. "You think that a continuous flow would fail, so if I disrupted it, I could succeed?"

"W-Well, if the assignment is 'spinning', it would not mean disrupting the spinning..", Hinata said doubtfully, too hesitant to speak her mind.

"Come on, spit it out", Naruto frowned. "Or do you want me to call you Hinata-sensei, first?", he wondered, semi-serious.

"No!", she squeaked quickly, "N-No.. You don't have to.. It's just.. P-Perhaps you should create multiple flows, instead of a single one? If the water spins in different directions at once.."

Naruto frowned, thinking deeply. '_I thought that the speed of the rotation would be the most important aspect.. And with a single flow, the balloon just stretches along… But if…'_

"That's genius!", Naruto realized. "Why didn't I think of that, I saw it becoming flat while I knew from the drawings that it had to be shaped like an orb", he said as he smacked his head. "Thank you, Hinata", he smiled, creating yet another set of kage bunshin to speed up the training. "Come on, we'll practice it together!"

* * *

Kurenai wondered what had happened, when she returned to camp. Naruto was smiling, for once seemingly genuinely happy, with his clothes soaked. Hinata blushed furiously, as the boy had removed his shirt to let it dry, he walked around in an undershirt made of mesh armour. The latter he had bought after the Zabuza mission. Seeing Haku's needles had been reason enough for Naruto.

"It worked!", he exclaimed, "Hinata is a genius!"

"Wait.. What the hell happened", Kiba asked, frowning.

Naruto summoned another water balloon from the storage scroll, held it up in his right hand, and made it explore. Akamaru barked at him when he was hit by the water. "Sorry Akamaru", Naruto grinned. "This damned exercise frustrated me for months!"

"Why you..", Kiba grumbled. "Idiot.."

* * *

Hinata still felt weak. After a few hours, Naruto had figured out how to pop the balloon. Or at least, one of his bunshin did. She helped him whenever she could, using the byakugan, though she tried to replicate his actions at the same time. When Naruto figured out, it had been a matter of minutes before the combined knowledge of all the clones enabled him to pop the balloon within mere seconds.

Hinata felt somewhat disappointed in herself, because she was unable to do what he did with such ease. Never before had she realized how much more skilled her new teammate was. Even though she had seen much of his struggle to train his chakra control. It had become a great endeavour for his teachers to train his flawed ability. And now she suspected that she knew why he had so much trouble: it had to be the Kyuubi who tried to twart Naruto's development. Controlling two chakras at the same time would be extremely difficulty, not even taking the sheer mass of the chakra into account, or the likely resistance which the demon would put up.

Despite feeling exhausted by her attempts to replicate Naruto's training method, she felt pride for him. His efforts began to pay off, and soon all Konoha would see the mistake they made by misjudging Naruto like this!

* * *

After dinner, Kurenai decided to make her students practice some more taijutsu, by letting them spar. Kiba had the advantages of speed, and strength, while Hinata was as elusive as always. Her flexibility was rather amazing. Naruto felt like he performed badly, especially now that Kiba was darting around him.

Kurenai frowned. Kiba was more than happy to take out his dislike of Naruto out on him. But why was Naruto slower than usual?

"Ehm.. N-Naruto-kun", Hinata interrupted her two teammates. "How.. What are those on your arms and legs?"

"Eh? Oh, these are gifts from Gai-sensei", Naruto responded. "For training. Though I must admit they're a little heavy."

"Training weights?", Kurenai asked. "You spar with those weights on?"

"Sure, Gai-sensei said that I would improve most if I kept them on at all times."

"Did he… Did Gai tell you how much chakra you should put into those weights?", Kurenai grimaced, recognizing the problem of the adjustable weights. Depending on how much chakra the user put into them, the weights would grow heavier. And Kurenai did not need a doujutsu to recognize that Naruto put way too much into them.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Ehm.. He told me how to do it.. And I.. I just put enough into them so I could move freely. But also, that I had to increase the weight over time.."

"How heavy are they?", Kurenai sighed.

Naruto shrugged, and threw the piece he had on his right arm towards her. He had merely put a tiny amount of chakra in it. But because of the weight he miscalculated, making it land in front of her. Where it landed with a crash.

"Naruto… These must be at least 30 kilos each", Kurenai massaged her forehead, after lifting the weight. She made a mental note to scold the loud jonin next time she would see him.

"Gai-sensei told me.. I would improve quickly if put a lot of effort into it", Naruto shrugged. With chakra reinforcing his body, he didn't think that the weights meant too much. Though, they did slow him down a bit.

"And did he warn you not to overexert yourself?"

"He might have", Naruto admitted sheepishly. "But I was a little distracted after he told me how much bushy brows trained with. Compared to that, these things are freaking light…"

Kurenai sighed. "Set them lower for now. You can increase the weight after our mission, but be a little more reasonable. Ten kilos each would be better for now", she added upon returning the weight to him. "And Hinata? Keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't pull anything like this again."

Hinata blushed when Naruto looked at her. "Yes, sensei", she squeaked.

While Kiba had the obvious advantage before, but now Naruto had reduced his weights to a third, he could keep up easily.

"Quite the training method", Kiba admitted reluctantly. "I wonder if I could get some of those weights as well.. Sensei?

"You can, Kiba, but watch out not to overexert yourself. Naruto has the advantage in stamina, so you should probably be more careful not to get exhausted. Though I admit it would be a good way to increase your stamina and chakra reserves, even if this method is somewhat.. Old fashioned."

'_Damn.._', Kiba thought. _'I'd almost start to understand why Hinata is so impressed by this guy… Seems nothing like the Naruto from the academy.'_

* * *

During the night, Naruto woke up. "_What the.."_, he thought. Suddenly realizing what was going on, he woke up Kiba, whom he shared his tent with. "Someone triggered the sentry seal", Naruto hissed.

"Wha?", the sleepy Inuzuka responded, cursing when Naruto darted away. "Damned bandit", he growled. Kiba was already annoyed that they hadn't been able to pick up a useful scent the day before.

Naruto did not get the chance to wake up his other teammate and his sensei, as an explosion blew him off the moment he stepped out of his tent.

"Great", Naruto growled, slightly disoriented. His shirt scorched, though his pants were undamaged. He noticed that the intruder was running away. "Hit and run? What a coward.."

Kurenai and Hinata woke up due to the explosion, and the moment they got out of their tent, they saw Naruto sprint away into the dark. And a somewhat scorched Kiba was sitting in the remains of his tent, Akamaru's head popping up from under the blanket he had been sleeping on.

'_If not for the circumstances, Kiba's look would be priceless_', Kurenai thought. "Kiba, you and Hinata stay here, I'll go after Naruto", she ordered. Luckily, she had ordered her genin to sleep in their regular outfits, in case of nightly attacks.

* * *

Naruto was jumping from tree to tree. '_Odd, the bandit was supposed to be an amateur, but he moves at the speed of a proper least genin, perhaps chunin. And that attack was no bomb or paper tag, it was a katon.._', he frowned. Not that Naruto cared. This new team was nicer to him than he had expected, but that did not change a thing about the pent up rage he still felt inside him. And now it was time to unleash it.

Dropping the weights, and using a little of the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto sped up and easily caught up, only to be surprised.

* * *

Mizuki cursed. For some reason, a group of shinobi was near the rendezvous point, and he had failed to notice their camp until it was too late. And one of them was already running out of a tent. A desperate attack, and running away, was the only thing Mizuki could come up with.

"Damn it, first that crazy order, and now this. What is wrong with me today!?"

* * *

"I just found out my minions lured the Kyuubi boy into my trap", a deformed man said, to the shadowy figure of the man he called 'leader'. "Do you want me to capture him?"

"No", the silhouette answered pensively after a moment of silence. "It is still too early for us to oppose Konoha. Besides, we have already set out plans for Konoha in motion, I do not want these plans to be disturbed just yet. We will deal with the Kyuubi when the time is right."

As the shadowy figure dissolved, the deformed one grumbled. "Guess that means my minions have to die.." He wanted to capture a few shinobi, so he would have some new sleeper agents in Konoha. What initially seemed to be a stroke of luck had turned into the opposite.

"Kill Mizuki. Do not get caught", he ordered his tall, sword wielding subordinate, who had waited outside the small cave.

* * *

When Kurenai arrived, she saw Mizuki. The teacher struggle against his former student, trying to burn him with (badly aimed) fire jutsu's.

"Die! You monster!", the man screamed.

Naruto laughed, amused by the man's fear, and allowed Mizuki to hit him with a fireball.

"If you know who I am, why bother with those little flames? I carry an incarnation of fire and destruction. I _cannot_ be burned by your pathetic attacks." Finally he could get revenge on the teacher he hated most, and drag him back to Konoha.

Whatever he had done, he just attacked Konoha shinobi.

The taunting caused Mizuki to lose all caution. Another wave of flames charged at Naruto. Who was merely surprised by the stupidity of his former teacher. Naruto shrugged, and charged at the man, not even bothering to dodge the flames.

"What an idiot", Naruto said, as he threw his former teacher's unconscious body to the ground. "All those big words about not losing yourself to your emotions, and then you do this.."

Kurenai jumped down as a dark haired man ran towards two others. She caught him in a genjutsu, but was too late to stop him from throwing the sword he carried.

Naruto dodged, just in time. But realized that had been the swordsman's intent, as he looked back at the now dead body of Mizuki. "Crap!", Naruto grimaced. Kurenai wondered if the boy regretted that the man had died, or that he regretted that someone else had stolen his prey. She had seen his expression just now, and it was more feral than human.

* * *

The misshapen man looked on from a distance. "Damn.." The woman had knocked out his subordinate, seemingly by using a genjutsu. The other two shinobi were at their camp, but he could not attack them now, not without having the other two notice it. And the element of surprise was also not his, as he had noticed one of them was a Hyuga. "At least they caught the idiot", he grumbled, "and not the spy. Let them have their fun with interrogations, they won't find much."

Still, he somewhat regretted that Mizuki had to die. Though he had outlived his usefulness as a spy with his failure attempt to steal scrolls from the hokage's office, the man had some talent, but more importantly he had a lot of useful intel on Konoha's next generation of shinobi.

He sighed. "What a waste.. Mission failed. Though at least leader can't blame me, he was the one who caused it."

* * *

Stashing both fallen warriors in a scroll, Kurenai took Naruto back to the camp. "Don't ever walk away on you own again", she scolded him. "It could've been a trap!"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm already trapped, so who cares. Those two wouldn't have been able to stop me anyway."

"Mizuki was a chunin, and even though he had taken the job of teaching at the academy, he got his rank for good reasons."

"Yeah, I know. But I trust Kakashi-sensei and Jiisan told you who I am", Naruto answered dryly. "Who cares how strong he was?" He was merely a human, anyway.

"Having access to its chakra maybe makes you more powerful than any other genin, but you are not invulnerable. You can't just jump in, like you seek death."

Naruto's indifferent look silenced her. "Sensei, I am not stupid enough to not notice its influence. Death is not the worst thing that could happen to me. At least that would take the Kyuubi down with me."

"And you told me you wanted to become Hokage?", Kurenai retorted sharply.

Naruto blinked. "Yeah."

"Never mind hokage, with that attitude you are hardly fit to lead a team of genin! What if you died, how do you think your team would do? If you carelessly risk your life, you can also take your teammates down with you."

Naruto frowned, not expecting such an answer. "But you.."

"No, Naruto. I may have been here right now, but you will not always have a jonin with you while on a mission. Do you care about your teammates?"

"Yes, I guess", Naruto frowned, not expecting Kurenai to be this agitated.

"Then value your own life!", Kurenai exclaimed. "Do it for them, if you cannot find another reason. And think about this: do you believe that the hokage would carelessly throw away his own life? He represents all of Konoha. I've seen what happened after the fourth died, the entire town was in chaos… The hokage is the strong symbol under which the clans of Konoha unite, Naruto. Without the Hokage, we would fall apart."

"So I should not take risks?"

"I didn't say that", Kurenai sighed. "But you should not be careless either. You are a part of team 8, if you would be hurt we would not function as well as we should.. You cannot operate on your own, Naruto. Not while being in a team. And if you truly want to become hokage, you should understand that a hokage is someone who works together with all the shinobi of Konoha. Can you promise me to take your role in the team more seriously?"

'_What?_', Naruto blinked. "You.. You actually want me to be part of this team? Despite my.. Despite being who I am?"

"Of course!", Kurenai said decidedly. "I meant what I said earlier. Your own strength is a great asset to our team. I truly believe you could become Hokage if you have the right mentality. Despite all the resistance it will cause, there will soon be a time when no one can deny your strength."

She saw that Naruto remained silent, with an oddly grim expression on his face. "But no one can do this all alone", she said kindly. "No human can live entirely alone."

"Sensei", Naruto started pensively. He remained silent for a bit, and Kurenai wondered what the strange expression on his face mean. It wasn't confusion. Nor anger. Disbelief?

"Do you think… Would you say that I am a human?", he finally continued.

"I.. Of course you are!"

"I know the Kyuubi's influence changes me", Naruto admitted his doubts. "But.. If the demon changes me, could I still be a human if I chose to be?" Naruto looked up into the dark sky. "Though, perhaps it doesn't even really matter what I am.. Human, animal, or demon.."

"Naruto.. I cannot say what influence the demon's chakra on you is, but I see a normal human being, burdened with a terrible seal. If anything I'd say you are exceptionally skilled for someone of your age", Kurenai decided some praise would be at place right now. "Maybe the Kyuubi could have a positive effect as well.. Besides, you are in control, right?", Kurenai smiled gently.

"I am", Naruto admitted hesitantly. "But what if.."

"Any person is capable of both good and evil. No one is born evil", Kurenai lectured him. "It are your choices that define what you want to be. But I believe that the Naruto that I have seen up till now would never give in, no matter what people would throw at him."

"I.. I suppose", Naruto replied absently. '_It doesn't matter what I am. Nothing is inherently evil… It's almost like what the Kyuubi himself said. Perhaps it didn't try to trick me that time.. Perhaps one day.. I could deal with the hatred of the Kyuubi'_, Naruto sighed. '_And if Kurenai-sensei is willing to believe in me… Maybe I should give that teamwork stuff a chance.'_

Kurenai looked at the boy next to her. Though he was absorbed by his thoughts, he seemed to look less bitter than he usually did. She decided he would need time, in which she hoped he would start to focus on teamwork. First she needed to figure out what just happened. A rogue teacher who just died, and the mysterious swordsmen they had captured.. What was the connection?

* * *

Kiba and Hinata had their guard up when their teammate appeared. His grim look, almost scared Hinata, but she saw her sensei followed closely. The pale look on her teacher's face surprised the girl.

"Kurenai-sensei, Naruto-kun, is everything all right?"

"Yes Hinata, we just caught the bandit, and have the body of our attacker as well." She paused for a moment. "Let's break up camp and head back, we need to report this."

Kiba shrugged, looking behind him. "Fine with me, not like I'll sleep comfortably anyway."

With Hinata and Naruto packing things together, Kurenai healed the minor burns Kiba had suffered from the explosion. "So what happened exactly, sensei?"

"I don't really know, Kiba", she sighed. "Things don't really add up."

* * *

"I'll have the torture and interrogation unit take a look at these two", the Hokage said to team 8, after hearing their Jonin's report. "Mizuki fled Konoha because he tried to steal something from my office. It sounds like me he planned to take whatever he wanted to steal to the bandit, though I wonder why the latter would attack villagers and attract attention like this.. It would seem that there was someone else pulling the strings."

Hiruzen stood up from his chair, when a man with dark glasses charged in. "I see you lost my grandson again, Ebisu?", the old man sighed.

The other man looked embarrassed. "Yes, Hokage-sama.. Errr, he was charging this way, so I had assumed.."

"I see you lost the ability to knock on the door as well..", Hiruzen remarked sharply. "Team 8, I think I have a mission for you tomorrow. You will look after my grandson for a day, which will give Ebisu the time he needs to study etiquette and proper behaviour."

Ebisu paled, bowed, and then left. Kurenai frowned. "I apologize, Hokage-same, but.."

"Your team has done well, Kurenai. I had planned to give you two days off, but I guess tomorrow's mission will be important as well. If I left my grandson alone, he will probably manage to somehow destroy my office.. Again.."

"Look after Konohamaru? An entire day?", Naruto paled a little.

"Yes, you'll report at nine at the Sarutobi-compound."

* * *

Outside the building, Kurenai left her genin, stating she had other business. The three walked together in silence for a little while.

"I guess I need to thank you, Naruto." Kiba suddenly spoke up.

"Wha.. Why? What for?"

"That explosion. I saw you block it, while you could've dodged." Naruto looked a little embarrassed as Kiba spoke. "You risked yourself to save me.. And I haven't been exactly nice either. So.. I guess I need to say thanks. And.. Apoligize.. For my behaviour."

Naruto shrugged. "We're a team right?", he said a little awkwardly. He did not want to admit that it had just been that he had not cared enough about the attack to dodge it. It wasn't like a little bit of fire could hurt him, after all.

"You didn't exactly act like a 'team person'", Kiba frowned. "Guess I was wrong", he added, upon noticing Hinata's sudden glare.

"You were", Hinata added pointedly.

"No, not really Hinata-sama", Naruto laughed, "but not many people treated me as a team member either, I guess I still needed some time to get used to it. Next time I'll dodge it", he smirked, taunting Kiba.

"So.. What's the deal with this Konohamaru kid?", Kiba asked.

"Oh.. He's the Hokage's grandson, but he's a bit of a pain in the ass if you ask me", Naruto shrugged. "Seen him several times, when he tried to ambush the old man. Not that he ever had much success.."

"Why would he do such a thing?", Hinata dared to ask.

Naruto frowned. "Don't know.. I thought it was some kind of game at first, but Konohamaru seems to take it quite seriously. Though I reckon it would be a great way of training as well.. But I guess you two can track him down easy enough if he tries to slip away tomorrow."

"Anyway, I saved your ass, Kiba, next time it's your turn", Naruto smirked, before jumping off.

"You shouldn't be too hard on Naruto-kun", Hinata said as she watched him jump away. "He lives at the Hyuga estate, but does not have many friends, neither in- nor outside the estate."

"He was always a silent oddball at the academy", Kiba agreed. "I thought he didn't want any contact with others, a bit like how I thought Shino was. No, worse, people disliked Shino because of his bugs, but Naruto… People just hated him and no one tells why."

"Do you believe he deserves to be hated, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.

"No. He just saved me and Akamaru, and he always acted friendly even though I wasn't." Kiba frowned. "Whatever he hides, I doubt he intends to hurt us. Kurenai-sensei seems to trust him, so I don't know why I shouldn't. Hell, I could almost understand why you like him so much!"

Akamaru barked. "Yeah, despite his smell", Kiba frowned.

"Smell?", Hinata asked, trying not to blush too much after Kiba's previous remark.

"Yes.. His chakra… At times, it smells strange. Wild… And very dangerous. Perhaps it is some odd kekkei genkai, I'll ask mum. See you tomorrow Hinata!", he added, taking the turn towards his own house.

* * *

**A/N:** Slow acceptance or continued rejection. I sometimes wonder which option is better..

Posting this chapter sooner than I had anticipated. Had set a goal of getting to 5.000 views before posting this chapter, but with over 2.000 views on one day.. Good thing I had prepared multiple chapters before I started posting! Let's see.. Shall I take 7.500 views as my next target? ^^

-Z-


	11. Konohamaru

**Konohamaru**

* * *

Hinata planned to quickly grab some breakfast next morning, but was halted by her father. "Hinata, I heard your team completed a C-rank mission?"

"Ah… Y-Yes, father", Hinata stuttered, not comfortable under her father's dismissive gaze.

"How much did you contribute?"

"Ehm.. Na-Naruto-kun captured… Captured the criminals."

"I heard one of your former teachers was involved", Hiashi nodded. "So you did not contribute to the success of this mission?"

"No, father", Hinata looked down and wished she could disappear from this place.

"I don't need to remind you that there are certain expectations when the heir of the Hyuga clan goes out on a mission?", Hiashi kept his face impassive, but his voice went slightly colder.

"No, father", Hinata seemed to shrink. "I'll do better next time."

"If you wish to maintain your position as heir, you will have to prove your ability", Hiashi concluded, before turning to leave the room.

* * *

The encounter with her father left Hinata in a sombre mood. _'Perhaps Naruto-kun has not left yet.. We could walk to the Sarutobi estate together',_ she tried to rip herself from her melancholy.

Standing in front of the door of his cottage, Hinata began to doubt herself. '_Maybe I should not.. Naruto likes to be alone.. I.. No, I promised Haruki-san, and mother',_ she thought.

"I'm already gone!", Naruto's voice sounded up from behind her, before Hinata could knock.

"Ah.. Na-Naruto-kun, w-what do you mean?"

"Eh? I said I already left, my original body that is. I'm just a clone I left behind to do the garden", the clone smirked. "Which is more fun than chasing after some brat!"

"Would you shut up and work? Oh, hey Hinata-sama", another Naruto added after loudly opening a window. "I'm trying to focus here", he continued against the clone.

"Two.. T-Two Naruto-kuns?"

"You'll get used to it soon enough", Chie added smugly. "Naruto, Ako-sama asked me if you could help her with the shopping this morning."

"Fine", the garden-Naruto grumbled after the window-Naruto pointed at him. "But that means you do the laundry!"

The window-Naruto nodded goodbye to Hinata before he closed the said window and continued with whatever he had been doing.

"Naruto usually leaves clones behind", Chie explained, seeing the puzzled look on Hinata's face. "To help Ako-sama and the sickly-two-leg, or to speed up his studies."

"So the real Naruto-kun.."

"Already left, a few hours ago. He wanted to train. Or he simply wanted some time alone.. He was rather distant yesterday", the cat said with a pensive tone. "He'll probably drop by at the Ichiraku stand where you two-legs seem to eat."

Chie looked around, as if she was thinking what to do. "Know what, I'll join you for today. Ako-sama is busy shopping anyway, and I'm rather bored with those two clones right here. Especially when they start to run out of chakra.. Then they start to act annoying."

"Spoiled creature", the garden-Naruto grumbled. "I'll probably be there, but you two should hurry if you don't want to be late."

"O-Ok, N-Naruto-kun", Hinata bowed slightly before she left.

Chie looked at her. "I thought the main family wasn't supposed to bow to others?", she remarked as they speeded towards Ichiraku's.

"I.. Eh..", Hinata didn't know what to say.

"Glad you're not an overly proud airhead like the rest of your family", Chie chuckled. "Though Queen-two-leg is an exception. You resemble her quite a lot."

* * *

Naruto said his goodbye to the best ramen-chef of Konoha, and walked out toward the Sarutobi complex. _'And now an entire day trying to look after that brat',_ Naruto sighed. _'Should've sent out a clone, and focussed on my scrolls instead.. Those notes on the infernal seal looked quite interesting.'_

"Chie? Hinata?", the boy frowned as they ran towards him

"You're too early, two-leg", the cat remarked as she jumped up on his shoulder. Her long tail draped around his shoulder and neck so she maintained her balance. "Princess-two-leg wanted to see you, so I thought I'd join you for now. Should be more amusing that seeing that clone of yours enjoying himself in the garden."

"Hinata? What's going on?", Naruto asked curiously.

"Ah.. Eh.. N-Nothing", Hinata stuttered. "Just w-wanted to ask if you would mind if I walked to the Sarutobi complex with you.."

Naruto was glad his hearing was better than that of most others, or he would not have understood what Hinata had nearly whispered. "Of course I wouldn't mind", Naruto smiled. "Though, we're almost there already."

Hinata looked downcast. "But we're still early. I was a bit too early at Ichiraku's", Naruto admitted. "I got hungry from all the training."

"Y-you always go out training.. That early?"

"Not always… But I woke up early so I thought I could just as well spend my time wisely, right?"

"Because of Mizuki-sensei?", Hinata guessed.

"Nehh.. I can't say I ever liked that guy. Not that I wanted him to die.. But he was a traitor to Konoha, so I can't say I'm bothered by his death either", Naruto shrugged.

"So why did you sleep that bad?", Chie asked almost innocently. But her acting was not good enough to fool Naruto, who had gotten used to her pranking.

"Must've been bad milk", he replied, looking at the cat. "I keep asking you not to mess up the fridge."

"I can't help it that it has such a poorly designed closing mechanism", the cat defended herself.

Naruto smirked. Despite the mischievous nature of the cat, she was rather easy to fool because she was equally touchy. "Well, I told you yesterday, we have to look after Konohamaru today", he aimed at the cat. "So nothing exciting."

"I-It seemed like you thought Konohamaru-chan was rather.. Difficult to handle", Hinata remarked.

"He is", Naruto sighed. "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

When they all arrived at the entrance of the estate of the Sarutobi clan, Kurenai announced herself and her team, and stated their mission. A robust looking older woman came to them and led them to the waiting room, stating that she would get the 'honourable grandson' to them as soon as possible.

Not that she seemed to have much success, as she quickly returned with a panicked look on her face.

"Konohamaru-chan has run off", she said, while out of breath.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Kurenai asked.

What little colour she had left, also vanished as the old woman paled. "He will probably be at the Hokage's office, sneaking towards his grandfather again.."

"Can you lead Kiba to his room?", Kurenai asked. "Kiba, Akamaru, you two follow her and get Konohamaru-chan's scent. We will wait at the entrance", she ordered.

Kiba sighed. "This will be a long day…"

"From what Asuma-san told me, Konohamaru-kun is a bit like Naruto when he was younger. Too much energy for his own good, too little time to consider the consequences of whatever he does. I've read the reports", she smiled at the mildly annoyed blond.

Hinata giggled, remembering the trouble Haruki had gone through when the unruly Naruto first lived at the estate. Teaching him proper etiquette had proven to be a nigh-impossible task.

"Did you meet Asuma again, sensei?", Kiba smirked.

Kurenai chose not to answer, though Hinata noticed the faint smile that betrayed her.

* * *

"He must be around here", Kiba said after they had gone to the edge of the village.

"Right", Naruto said, performing the hand seals needed for "Kage bunshin no jutsu", and sending out two dozen clones to scout the area.

"There are too many people around", Hinata apologizing to her sensei.

"Yeah, this place stinks", Kiba groaned. "Getting a good scent at this place is though.."

The old market square was not the wealthiest place in Konoha, so most of the merchants sold second-rate goods. Goods which attracted a clientele who had less money to spend. Naruto vaguely remembered the place from before he started living with the Hyuga, but the other two genin had probably never heard of the place, as they were members of prominent clans.

And those who enjoyed the protection of their clan would not have to go to places like this, which was more or less reserved for the clanless.

Though Konoha had a reputation that it did not have as much discrimination against the clanless, this was a place which suggested otherwise. After all, in the ninja world, bloodlines were everything. Those born into clans with such bloodlines usually saw the others as inferior. Naruto knew that people like Lee or Sakura were more or less considered as second-rate ninja, because they were born in clans which hardly had any importance at all. On the other hand, they still faced less prejudice than someone like Tenten, who was clanless. Naruto, though from a formerly prominent clan, was little more than clanless simply because he was the last of his clan. Not that people looked at Sasuke in the same way..

It should not be about birth rights, but about the people themselves. Tenten, for instance, was one of the best kunoichi Naruto knew, so why should she be considered less than someone like Ino or Hinata, just because they were born into prominent clans? Inequality.. Naruto hated that trait in humans.

* * *

"So what's a brat like you doing here?", the second largest of the kids asked the little boy.

"I was just looking around.."

"One of those spoiled boys from the high and mighty clans looking at the poor folk?", the largest boy mocked.

"No, give me my scarf back!", the smallest boy shouted.

"Or what", the only girl in the group smirked. "You're gonna tell daddy, and he'll send the anbu to punish us?"

"Maybe we should just dispose of him", the most anxious looking boy added. "That way he can't rat on us either.. And I bet he has some valuables on him as well, even though he's a brat."

"Good thinking, Buckteeth", the largest boy replied to the anxious 'Buckteeth'. "A clan won't save you from this, will it?", he smirked, pulling out a large knife.

"What the hell do you guys think you're doing?", a calm voice shook them up.

"Who the hell are you?", the large boy frowned. "Wanna die too?"

"I know him..", Buckteeth said. "But that's years ago.. The mother called him a monster."

"And a shinobi", the girl exclaimed, while running away. The other followed her cowardly example, except for the largest boy.

"Who cares, it's not like you're..", the boy started, before knocked into the nearby wall.

"Idiot", Naruto whispered. "Now, Konohamaru…. Dammit!", Naruto cursed after he noticed the brat had slipped away in the middle of the confusion.

* * *

"He went that way", Naruto spoke up, startling his teammates. "Some of the local kids threatened him, my clone interfered but he ran anyway.. My other clones are tracking him down right now. This way", Naruto jumped away.

* * *

In the end, one clone found the boy, who was sitting on top of a fallen tree, near the edge of the village.

"Who are you?", the boy demanded.

"A clone", the clone answered.

"What?"

"He's a clone", the original Naruto said, jumping down. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. And you are a brat who is pretty hard to find."

"Why are you here? Go bother someone else.."

Noticing the downcast look on the boy's face, Naruto decided to sit next to him. "Because you're not supposed to wander around alone."

Konohamaru looked at him defiantly. "I'll do what I want!"

"I saw", Naruto replied dryly. "Those kids surely let you do whatever you wanted… Idiot."

"You.. Why..", the boy was too frustrated to speak properly.

"Konohamaru, you shouldn't run away like this. There are too many people who care about you", he explained.

"Pfff. They don't care about me. All they care about is grandpa. I'm just the _honourable grandson_. I wouldn't be anybody if I wasn't born in the right family."

Naruto smacked him on the head. "Stupid! It makes you a target as well! That old woman at the estate had tears in her eyes because of worry. She cared. And I heard the way your grandpa talked about you. I grew up in orphanages, surrounded by people who wouldn't care whether you lived or died, so don't complain to me."

Konohamaru looked a little ashamed now. "Still, I wanted that people to see me as me, not as the Hokage's grandson."

"So you hate living in his shadow?" Naruto added, waiting for Konohamaru to nod. "Then why waste your time on running away, or on those pranks you pull on the old man? Start training. If you want to be recognized as you, become so strong that people can't get around it."

"I know. I want to be Hokage, that's why I try to beat grandpa! If I beat him, becoming Hokage will be easy! OW!" Konohamaru exclaimed, after Naruto smacked him again. "Why did you do that?!"

"Becoming strong, becoming Hokage.. Do you think it is that easy to reach such goals? Do you think anyone would follow you as you are now? Ordinary people who risk nothing will never reach as high as a Hokage. It will take a lot of effort and suffering. How many obstacles did your grandfather face before people recognized _him_?"

Naruto smiled. "Besides, if you want to become Hokage, you'll need to beat me first."

Konohamaru looked up at his rival, and grinned. "I'll beat you in an instant!"

* * *

Kurenai was a little surprised at Naruto's use of the shunshin no jutsu, which he had used to get to Konohamaru. Though a relatively simple skill, genin usually were not able to cross much distance with it. When she and the other students caught up, they saw the two boys duel.

"This is more fun than with Ebisu", Konohamaru cheered. Despite being outmatched with every move he made, he grinned at his rival. Taking an exaggerated jump, Konohamaru tried to hit Naruto again. His clothes only became dirtier, after Naruto had dodged and Konohamaru was left in the dirt.

"What are you two doing?", Kurenai asked sharply. Hinata smiled at the sight, but Kiba was somewhat conflicted: scowl or laugh? Chie just looked at the situation and thought that humans were idiotic creatures.

"Konohamaru here wants to be Hokage, but he can't unless he beats me", Naruto smirked, blocking a strike while his rival presumed he was not paying attention.

Kiba decided, he laughed. "Man, I will be a damn long day! If the kid wants to be Hokage, then he'll need to beat me as well."

"Two rivals?", Naruto sighed. Five clones jumped down on Kiba. "Konohamaru did better, Kiba!", he taunted the Inuzuka.

Kurenai looked on, her brows raised, as the three boys (and one dog) continued to fool around. Standing next to her, Hinata smiled happily. '_Some rest and relaxation will also improve teamwork, I guess._'

Another Naruto jumped down next to her. "Informed the old lady we found Konahamaru", the clone said, before jumping into the fray with a big smile. Something which was 'no fair' according to the youngest boy.

She sighed in defeat. All that work to become a jonin-sensei, and then she got a mission like this. Then she saw another Naruto sitting high in a tree, keeping a watchful eye on the environment.

"You're a clone as well?" Kurenai asked, impressed.

"Yup, why?"

"You.. Normally clones aren't very intelligent, unless…" Kurenai's eyes widened. Completely autonomous kage bunshins required jonin-level chakra levels, and Naruto spawned them seemingly effortlessly. Up till now she had just assumed that he just put less chakra in them, which reduced their intelligence and skill, but any of these clones seemed to be a perfect copy of the original Naruto. '_Dear god… And he creates them by the dozens… I doubt even Hokage-sama could do something like this.'_

* * *

It took another hour for them to get Konohamaru exhausted. Naruto send out a few clones to gather food, Ichiraku's ramen, Hinata presumed.

She could see it today, normally Naruto's chakra seemed a bit dimmed, but when he was truly happy, it was like he radiated. With his enormous chakra, he seemed like the sun. Glowing with a light and warmth, unlike any other shinobi. How could he have been if he didn't have his burden?

"You all right, Hinata?", he asked her, seeing her pensive look.

"Yeah, I am just enjoying this day", the girl smiled, but Naruto saw that something was bothering her.

"Good. You always worry about others, now you finally have to relax."

Kiba was first to return, bringing along all he though was necessary for a picnic. Eating outdoors like this was another new experience for the scion of the main family. Hinata had been right, as the Naruto's brought along a variation of ramen. With Chie sleeping on his lap, Konohamaru was entertained by Kurenai's telling stories of when she was genin. Something which the others enjoyed just as much.

Turned out, young Azuma had been quite the rebel himself as well, something which enjoyed Konohamaru more than anything. "Thanks", he smiled widely. "Now I can finally take a little revenge on uncle smoky!"

* * *

"Eh.. Boss?", Konohamaru asked Naruto when the two of them were at some distance from the others. "Why did you help me?"

"You were my mission", Naruto shrugged. "Besides, it would not have mattered.. I despise bullies so I would've helped you anyway."

"Why.. Why did they call you a monster, boss?", Konohamaru asked curiously. Hinata, who just walked towards them, froze.

Naruto frowned. "Probably because I'm a shinobi. Ordinary people are often jealous of us, right, Hinata?"

"I-I g-guess", Hinata blushed mildly. "But from what you told earlier, I think it is more because they were clanless."

"What's that, nee-chan?"

"People who do not belong to a clan, Konohamaru-chan", Hinata explained.

"Many treat them as second rate citizens", Naruto added darkly. "This only causes them to equally hate those of the clans in return."

"Why?", Konohamaru seemed confused.

"Because they feel like the position in which they were born defines their life", Naruto smiled gently. "You should understand this right? You're always treated well because of your heritage, while the clanless get the reverse treatment..."

This seemed to sober Konohamaru up. "Why would Jiichan.."

"The Hokage tries to unite the clans, but he can't force people to change either", Naruto shrugged. "But when one of us becomes Hokage, we can continue the old man's good example, right?"

"Right!", Konohamaru smiled.

When Hinata looked at both boys, she somehow knew that Naruto could make his dream come true. Despite his burden. Despite the village. If anyone could endure, it would be Naruto.

* * *

**A/N**: Yup, even Kurenai still finds out how much she was still underestimating Naruto. Would it make you consider how much more he is hiding?

I introduced the concept of having a (social) difference between those living in clans and those who do not. Will come into play later on. Let's say I wanted to create some more detail to the political situation in Konoha, something which Kishimoto himself pretty much ignored.

Both this and the next chapter are relatively short, so I post them both today!

-Z-

* * *

**_Some things in response to your reviews:_**

_Why Kiba and not Shino?_ Well, I thought Naruto would be in need of a friend. And while Shino is a nice guy, he is also silent and rather distant. This works very well with the 'regular' loud and cheerful acting Naruto, as for instance the 'Team 8' fanfic showed (I have that one in my list favourite fanfics, for those who haven't heard of it). But in this story, Naruto himself is already distant towards others. So I thought that this Naruto would not interact very well with Shino. Therefore, I thought the brash but loyal Kiba would be the better choice.

_About Sasuke._ Because of his heritage, he got away with a very light punishment after the whole country of waves thing: he and his team were forbidden to take anything but D-ranked missions, and he had to report to the Hokage's office every morning to do remedial chores. Hiruzen even wanted to let him look after Konohamaru once, but that didn't work out too well..

_The Hyuga clan._ Are they all stuck-up assholes? Nope. In fact: I will be focussing on them soon enough. The Hyuga are proud and have strong traditions; that's also why Hizashi's survival has not changed that much. Nor has Hitomi's. All you need to know right now is that the branch and the main families are not quite friendly.

_Hinata._ Indeed, Hinata will get a summon later on. I have several idea's on that one, but.. Deciding can be difficult at times, but I still have time. I think it should also fit in the scenario I have in mind for Hinata, as well as her personality.

Thank you all for your feedback. I already had changed several things because I found I had not sufficiently thought things through! The errors of someone writing his first fanfic perhaps? I'll do my best to keep improving myself!


	12. Truth

**Truth**

* * *

At the end of the day, team 8 brought Konohamaru back to the Sarutobi estate, and returned to their respective homes, tired but content.

As the two of them came close to the estate, Hinata tried to supress the urge to fidget. "S-Seems like you made a friend today, Naruto-kun."

"I suppose", he shrugged.

"Y-You don't think that.."

"Konohamaru just reminded me of my old self, seeking acknowledgement but not knowing how." While speaking, the pensive undertone returned to his voice. "I suppose you too understand what it is, having people look at the image of what they think you are. What you must be. Instead of the real you."

Hinata looked down, her fingers now fidgeted again, though she could not remember when she had lost control of them.

"I'm sorry, Hinata", Naruto added with regretful voice. "I didn't mean to.." He sighed.

"I know, Naruto-kun." She replied, before stuttering "But why… Why do people hate you?"

Naruto froze, his eyes turned sad. Chie looked at the girl and seemed to hesitate between anger and curiosity. '_We warned two-leg that she shouldn't be this direct.. Why…'_

"I- I mean, I know why people don't like me, and I can understand but.."

"You shouldn't. Don't talk about yourself like that", he said firmly. "So what if people expect you to be the perfect heir. You are you. There is nothing wrong with you." Naruto sighed. "My case.. I'm… Different."

It took her a moment to muster the courage to look at him again, she noticed he sat down on a nearby bench. "You are not different", she said softly, looking at him.

He sighed, and looked around. "But I am… I am different from other humans." He chuckled, humourlessly. "No other shinobi in Konoha is like me. When we met Sakura the other day, did you notice how she looked when she saw me?"

Hinata nodded.

"She saw what I could do. What I am."

"Two-leg", Chie decided to warn him. "You shouldn't.."

"No Chie", Naruto sighed. "Hinata probably sees my.. Defect… Anyway.. That byakugan can see through any superficial lie.. And I might as well get this over with.."

"What did she.. W-What did Sakura-san…"

Naruto formed some quick hand seals, and activated a jutsu which made it impossible for other to eavesdrop. Or even see them. It was a useful thing he had learned from Jiraiya once, even though it was only restricted to a small area, thus making movement impossible. Ideal for the 'spying' activities Jiraiya often used it for.

"Kurenai-sensei did not tell you what I did during my mission in the land of waves..", Naruto started. Hinata shivered when she saw his cold blue eyes. As if every emotion in his face had frozen. "A large number of mercenaries attacked the town and I… annihilated them. I tore them apart, limb from limb… I ripped the heart out of their boss's chest."

Naruto sighed. "Sakura simply saw the truth. She saw the monster I am."

"You are not a monster, Naruto-kun", she said as firmly as she could, sitting down next to him. "You only.. You only did that because you wanted to save the village. You are no monster. Ask Konohamaru. Ask me. Ask the people in that village. You saved so many lives. A monster would not care about others like you do."

"Do you want to know the truth?", Naruto asked cautiously. He had never trusted anyone before, but if he had to tell anyone..

Chie tensed as Hinata nodded.

"I'll understand if you fear me. Or hate me, when you learn the truth", Naruto said, though a slight grimace hinted the opposite. "When you see me, with your byakugan, you see two kinds of chakra, right?"

"Yes, one is.."

"One is my own", he cut her off, "the other is.. Something the Yondaime did to me, when I was a baby."

She held her breath, even though she already knew.

"There is a secret kept by everyone in Konoha… The Yondaime could not destroy the Kyuubi. He could only seal it away, so it could not hurt others again. Not for a while, at least", Naruto spoke softly, with a nearly emotionless tone, while looking at the ground. "That is why the people fear and hate me. They fear the day I lose control of the seal that man placed on me, and become the Kyuubi myself."

"That's impossible! You're not.. Y-You would never.."

"They are half right, Hinata." Naruto interrupted her with sad tone. "I can feel it, hear its voice, draw onto its chakra, and it changes me. I sense the evil in others, and fire hardly damages me. And why do you think I have an affinity for two nature types? Wind is my own, while fire is derived from the Kyuubi."

Hinata didn't know what to say. She saw the deep sadness on his face. He looked so lost, so vulnerable.. In a moment of boldness she forgot her shyness, only thinking of his pain, and hugged him.

Naruto froze. '_What is she doing? __Why doesn't she run away? Shout at me? Or at least look shocked or afraid? Did she know? Or does she not care?_'

Even Chie, who had remained silent because she had decided to trust Naruto's judgement despite her own reservations, sighed in relief. She knew this situation could have ended badly. She knew that rejection from this girl would have hit Naruto much harder.

"You're not.. Scared?", he asked. Though it almost sounded like begging to her.

"No! Of course not! I know you, Naruto, you would not hurt anyone", Hinata spoke with more strength than Naruto had ever heard before. "I.. I..", suddenly realizing what she was doing, what she was almost going to say, she squeaked and let him go.

"Why.. Why would you have so much faith in me?", Naruto's mind seemed unable to process the situation.

"Y-You saved me. You're always kind. Even though the way people treat you. Your strength… I know how hard it is to.. To keep yourself together", she tried to explain. "But you always endured. You never gave up, no matter how badly people treated you.. No matter how many times pushed you over, no matter how many time you fell, you always stood up again. I.. I think that is true strength."

Naruto looked at her, impressed and deeply surprised that anyone would call him, the monster of Konoha, an example of strength. Even Chie was surprised, which was quite a feat considering the cynicism of the creature.

Hinata blushed under the gaze of both the boy and the cat.

"I remember you fainting when you gave me something to eat", he said slowly. "And now you don't even give a budge after hearing that the world's most dangerous monster is next to you. You even manage to speak like some kind of philosopher.. I should've realized earlier you were a strange girl", he smiled.

Hinata looked distraught at his poor attempt of a compliment, and backed away a little.

"I mean, it's good that you're not like the others, right? I didn't mean to say you are strange, but..", Naruto sheepishly tried to correct himself, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I mean… You're a great person and.. Well, I.. Ah shit, and now she did faint. Me and my big mouth..", Naruto facepalmed.

"You've got a lot to learn about how you need to act when being around a lady", Chie retorted smugly. "Shall we bring the young lady back?"

"Why would people..?", Naruto still did not understand Hinata's behaviour.

"You'll learn eventually", Chie smirked knowingly, amused by the clueless blond. '_As smart as he may be, he truly has a blind heart_.'

* * *

It turned out team 8 got another day off after that, giving Naruto the time to make up for the chores he had skipped due to the last missions, and get some time off to think.

He hadn't spoken to Hinata again, as she was dragged of by her father for 'remedial training', or so Hitomi had told him. She did not seem to be very happy about it, though she seemed kinder than usual to him. Perhaps she knew about the conversation he had with Hinata. It would not surprise him, seeing how she always seemed to know everything. When he was younger, he was terrified of her ability to see right through him. But now he understood what kind of person she really was.

Thinking back about the conversation with Hinata still made Naruto a little confused. Hinata knew about him, yet did not reject him. It was odd. Though, Chie's amusement even confused Naruto more. Perhaps this was what other's meant with 'friends'? But why did friendship feel so confusing?

So far, Naruto only had a hand full of people whom he considered to be friendly.

The Hokage, Jiraiya, and Haruki all were older and had experienced the Kyuubi, yet did not blame him. Even though Haruki openly admitted to Naruto that he was afraid of the demon. Ako was a special case. As was Chie. And maybe Iruka… His former sensei was one of the few who treated him well, and even treated him on ramen a few times.

Then there were those like Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku's, who always acted friendly to Naruto, probably not knowing the truth. '_I'd guess I could put Shikamaru and Choji in the same group.. And perhaps Konohamaru and Kiba too?'_

"But she is strange indeed", he mused, atop his favourite branch in the forbidden training area, while fidgeting with the rubber ball he was supposed to pop. "I once thought she avoided me because she hated me, or that she was afraid of me.. Then she ordered me to stay, and now this… It makes no sense. Why would she.."

"Girl troubles already?", a familiar voice asked. "Whoah, watch it brat!", Jiraiya laughed after dodging the rubber ball that the startled Naruto just threw out of reflex.

"Wha.. How did you get here?", Naruto asked in surprise.

"Wherever there are troubles with girls, I just happen to be close", Jiraiya answered smugly.

Naruto made Jiraiya dodge again. "It's not like _that_."

"Oohhhh", Jiraiya said, grinning as he mocked Naruto, "_That_? It is that serious already? Perhaps I should give you one of my books, if you mature this fast. You could learn a thing or two from good literature.."

"Ah just shut it, you pervert", Naruto retorted.

"Super pervert", Jiraiya corrected him dryly. "Don't want to compare your ordinary pervert to someone like me, do you?"

"You are as crazy as ever", Naruto finally said, after they finished laughing. "It's been too long, when did you come back?"

"Yeah, my mission got a little extended unfortunately", Jiraiya said, with a hint of a seriousness. "The old man wanted me back earlier, but I couldn't hurry when I saw such interesting research material on my way back."

"Hot springs?"

"Hot springs", Jiraiya laughed. "That stealth seal of yours truly is useful!", he added with a lecherous tone. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I have to go now. The old man needs to hear my report right away, or he'll kill me. I'll see you tomorrow", the perverted sage added before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"I got a mission tomorrow, you old fool", Naruto smiled. "Guess I'll have to leave a clone behind.."

* * *

**A/N:** I thought a lot about this chapter. How should I make Naruto spill the truth? Or should I skip it? Of course, Hinata already knew.. But still, I felt it was crucial for him to let him tell it her himself, and then feeling the acceptance. And how should I have let Naruto respond? It was a web of difficult choices. I'd say that this openness and honesty would be the first step on the path to getting both characters closer together, despite Hinata's shyness and Naruto's not understanding why other people could like him. This first step is especially because they still have to face a lot of troubles... That's why, even though it is short, I put it into a separate chapter.

-Z-


	13. Uzumaki ruins

**Uzumaki ruins mission**

* * *

"Good morning team 8", the Hokage started, after the said team entered his office. He gestured the guards that they had to close the doors. "Your new mission for you will probably be an extended one again."

"Another C-rank?", Kiba asked hopefully.

"Hmm", Hiruzen frowned. "This mission has actually not been ranked. It could be considered C-rank, but also might turn out to be an A-rank. It's a bit of a special case…"

"Hokage-sama, our team is not yet ready for the more difficult missions.."

"I know, Kurenai", he cut her off. "Team 8 will act as support for someone else. Your team was requested due to the unique nature of the problem."

He gestured them to sit down on the chairs in front of his desk. Putting on his pipe, he continued.

"Several years ago, a few of our jonin stumbled upon the remains of what had been a temple of the Uzumaki-clan. Yes Naruto," he answered the genin's surprised look. "Strange enough, the temple is located outside Uzushiogakure, near the western border of the country of fire."

"If it was found so long ago, why is it now our mission?", Kurenai asked.

"The temple was sealed. The outer barriers were taken down, but the inner barriers and whatever remained inside, were out of our reach. We could not breach it. That is why we covered it up, and waited for you to grow up, Naruto. There are indications that only an Uzumaki might be able to pass that inner barrier."

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds weird, but I don't mind trying."

"But why now?", Kurenai frowned. "This could potentially be very dangerous, why not wait?"

"Because we suspect that there is someone who is looking for the location of the temple..", Hiruzen admitted.

"Ah.. H-Hokage-sama, wouldn't that make the mission even more dangerous?" Hinata stuttered.

The Hokage shook his head in denial. "Like I said, you will act as support. Your contact will wait for you by the gates, at eleven. Though it might be possible he shows up late, he probably can be found in one of the clubs near the shopping district. He will guide you and explain the details of the mission, good luck."

* * *

Two and a half hours later, team 8 was waiting near the gates of Konoha. All had packed for a journey of several days, but their guide had yet to show up.

Naruto sighed, "I'll go fetch him."

"Naruto? Where are you going?", Kurenai asked him.

"Well, there's only so many experts on seals and barriers in Konoha.. We know it's a man, and we know where he resides: a club near in the red light sector.. So, I know who I have to look for."

He turned towards Hinata. "Though, I guess you could help me, Hinata, if you want to. I'll leave a clone behind in case he does show up", he added after the girl nodded with a slight blush.

As the two ran off, Naruto warned Hinata. "We're looking for a tall man, with long spiky white hair. He possesses a huge amount of chakra, at least as much as the Hokage, so he shouldn't be hard to miss with your byakugan.."

Naruto suspected that Jiraiya had just spent the entire night drinking all the sake he could find, so though locating him would be relatively easy. Getting him to move would probably be a bigger issue.

* * *

"Ughh.. Stop knocking on the damn door", Jiraiya grumbled, "Damned hangovers... Why can't I enjoy a little sake without this crap? Stop knocking I said!"

"Oi, ero-sennin!"

"Naruto?", Jiraiya groaned as the voice seemed to tear right through his skull. "Dammit, let me sleep a few hours you brat.."

"Seems like he doesn't want to open the door", Naruto whispered to Hinata. He grinned, "Too bad for him.. I guess I have to play dirty now.. Oiroke no jutsu!"

* * *

Whatever had happened, Naruto had brought along their guide. Hinata was still blushing for some reason, and Jiraiya grumbled something about deception and theft.

"Serves you right, lazy pervert", Naruto responded.

"Hmmpf , no student should deceive his master in such a cruel way. Almost thought I was dreaming, and next thing I know you took away my money and ran. Foul play."

Naruto smirked at the older man, "You were the one who taught me to exploit the opponent's weaknesses, moneygrubbing perverted sage."

"Dammit, show some respect, brat!" Jiraiya shouted, charging after the boy. Not that he was truly angry, he seemed to be too immature for something like that.

Kurenai facepalmed, Kiba looked completely confused, and Hinata's fuses were still recovering from the previous shock. Seeing a naked female version of Naruto charge into the old man's room was a sight she could not get out of her head. That the famous Toad Sage, one of the legendary three, was tricked like this..

* * *

Contrary to the turbulent start of their mission, Jiraiya had a surprisingly serious side to him as well, Kurenai noticed.

"Hokage-sama told us when those ruins were found, you could not go beyond the inner barriers, Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya frowned a bit. "Yeah, I may be considered an expert on seals and barriers, but whatever they did in that temple was beyond my knowledge."

"But if you could not enter, how is Naruto supposed to do it?" Kiba asked.

"How should I explain this", Jiraiya pondered. "There is a difference between skill that is innate to a person, and skill that is trained. For example, your sensei is considered an expert with regard to genjutsu, but will probably lose to an Uchiha who has access to the higher levels of the sharingan, even if that Uchiha has little training in genjutsu. It is talent that is dependent on the blood, inborn."

"So the Uzumaki clan has an inborn talent for fuinjutsu?", Hinata asked.

"Probably, yes. I mean, I gave Naruto a few cabinets filled with theory on fuinjutsu, and within a few years he could master several of the more advanced seals. Taking into account the difficulty of fuinjutsu itself, added with the mostly incomprehensible way these texts were written, I say that the brat has some kind of inborn talent to it."

Kiba frowned, "Few people seem to use fuinjutsu, why is it so difficult?"

"You want a lecture on fuinjutsu?", Jiraiya, happy to talk about his field, became more enthusiastic. Naruto saw Kiba's mistake and tried to prevent him from continuing, but he was too late.

"Well for starters the user must possess large amounts of chakra, and a high level of controlling it. In effect, that usually means that seals are created by several people who work together on one seal. Those people have differing types of chakra, and varying levels of control, making things exponentially more difficult."

Now Jiraiya had become serious, the others listened attentively. Though, Naruto already knew that they would have a hard to time follow him. Even his sensei, he expected.

"Of course, this difficulty is bypassed by for instance the Uzumaki, or awesome people like me", he grinned, "We've got the chakra! Still, even those who meet those requirements must learn the complex language in which seals are written. It is possible to create seals with limited understanding, but the duration and strength suffer much from the lack of details, or the minor mistakes. It is a bit similar to the twelve hand seals, though the written version has more signs, so is more difficult as well. Not to mention that the sequence of signs, and the connection between them, are factors which make inventing or recreating seals very difficult. Not to mention the difficulty of removing them.. Even for those with doujutsu like the sharingan it is pretty much impossible to see through fuinjutsu."

"I don't get it, if it is that difficult, why use it?" Kiba frowned, not understanding half of Jiraiya's lecture.

"Simple. Ordinarity ninjutsu usually has limited duration, while fuinjutsu, if executed properly, is barely affected by time. That is why those barriers at the temple are still active. Creating seals may require a lot of knowledge and skill, as well as some time to activate the seal, but there is no cost at keeping the seal up. Which is also great for setting up traps before a fight starts, for instance!"

"It is just like how I can activate the sentry seals which last all night, even if I sleep in the meantime. It all depends on the seal's design", Naruto explained. "It takes more chakra to activate, compared to normal ninjutsu, but unlike that it has no upkeep cost. And with the complexity, there are also a lot of conditions you can embed in them. In that regard: I gather there are special conditions placed on that temple's barrier?"

"I think they added a few loopholes", Jiraiya agreed. "And seeing how it seemed to be a sacred place to the Uzumaki, I doubt they would create such a powerful seal without including some measures to keep it accessible to their own."

"Jiisan said something about my chakra."

"Could be an option, because for all I know, you are the last surviving Uzumaki. I suppose that would make you the unofficial head of your clan, just like that Uchiha brat."

Naruto smirked, "I like _that_, I would love to see the looks at people's faces if they had to call me Uzumaki-sama, or Naruto-sama".

Kiba snorted, "No way I'm doing that", before laughing along.

* * *

In the evening, Jiraiya took Naruto apart for a moment. "So, how did this transfer work out for you? The old man told me a bit about it, but I had not expected you to be this happy about it."

"Hmm I wasn't happy at first", Naruto admitted. "I felt just like when I was thrown out of the orphanage, thinking that it was my fault. I even considered leaving Konoha", a statement which earned him a sharp look from Jiraiya, "But I was stopped before I could do so."

"Stopped!? Sarutobi-sensei didn't tell me anything about this.."

"He doesn't know. Hinata followed me, and more or less ordered me to stay", Naruto said a little embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.

"So that's the source of your girl problems?" Jiraiya asked, almost innocently. "And the Hyuga heir, of all people", he added, not managing to contain his chuckling any longer. "Not bad, not bad at all.."

"I told you it's not like that", Naruto grumbled. "And I guess you shouldn't tease her either, unless you want to carry her. She usually faints", he added upon seeing Jiraiya's questioning look.

"So you two did not yet.. Oww" he started lecherously, before getting hit by Naruto.

"It doesn't matter", Naruto smiled faintly. "Besides, someone like me has enough trouble as it is."

"She doesn't need to know that, right?"

"She knows who I am, and my most likely fate.."

Jiraiya paled a little, and than grimaced. "How.. How did she learn of this? Did Hiashi.."

"Nobody betrayed the Hokage's law", Naruto interrupted him. "I was the one who told her."

* * *

Jiraiya was still stunned when they returned to the others. He knew full well how serious Naruto was about the fact that he carried the Kyuubi within him. In fact, to his knowledge, Naruto had not ever told anyone about it, unless the other started talking about it first. And even then, he remained extremely reluctant to speak about it.

'_Hiruzen said something about how Naruto thought she had saved him from the orphanages… It might be that he truly trusts her more than any other. Though, I wonder if she realizes the significance of his confession. Dammit, I got to figure out a way to talk to that girl, if she had turned him down.. The signs of his struggle becomes more and more obvious, how would he respond to such a rejection?_', he felt a chill at the thought he might have to face his pupil one day, if the latter would fall.

"So, how's the balloon exercise going? I saw you play with the rubber ball, so I take it you figured out the first step?", he tried to hide his worry by continuing a normal conversation.

Naruto looked up. "Yeah, the water balloon is easy now, though I would not have figured it out without Hinata."

"Seriously? I guess the doujutsu is quite a tool to cheat your way through training", the old man smiled at the blushing girl.

"I only gave some tips, Jiraiya-sama", she squeaked.

"Drop the honorifics", Jiraiya ordered, "they only make me feel old. I am old enough as it is, compared to you kids."

Kiba frowned a bit. "You're certainly quite different from the stories I heard mum tell about you. Though I did hear quite a bit about your writing skills… Sis made a habit of kicking every man in our clan who has those books with him. Mum never explains why though."

"And she shouldn't", Kurenai added sharply. Looking at her eyes, Jiraiya sighed in resignation. There was no hope of defending his literary arts in this company. Not that kids of their age should read it, anyway.

* * *

"So this is it?", Naruto asked with a doubtful tone. On their sixth day of traveling the group had finally arrived. Not that team 8 would have spotted it. The woods had claimed the ground which once had been a temple, with only several large rocks and one ruined part of wall left as silent witnesses of the former complex.

From his previous explanation, Jiraiya had given Naruto the impression that the temple had been quite a substantial building. Reality was quite disappointing to the young genin, who had dreamed to see something of his nearly extinct clan.

"Yes, if we get past those two rocks over there, we are near the entrance to the lower levels of the temple. I suggest setting up camp and gathering supplies first, I'll take Naruto and little Miss Hyuga over there with me to check the entrance." The old man glanced at Kurenai, "If the barriers I left previously are not intact, we might have to set out watches."

They knew that if anyone was keeping an eye on the temple, they might attempt to attack them. Well, if they were stupid enough to not recognize Jiraiya, that was.

Kurenai nodded, and together with Kiba and a dozen of Narutos, she started setting up camp. Luckily, the seals and barriers were all intact. Apparently no one had even entered the ruin past the first barrier which warded against wild animals. Despite having set out sentry seals, the group took turns in keeping watch, as the others slept.

* * *

The group had deliberately been moving at a slow pace, as Jiraiya had decided to teach Naruto how to undo or remove fuinjutsu cast by others. This meant that, even though they had travelled at high speed for a few hours each day, the remainder of that day would be spent at training.

Not that the others had gotten bored. Jiraiya had given Kurenai instructions on how to train Kiba, whose nose might have the ability to trace the lingering chakra left by the fuinjutsu, and Hinata, whose eyes had to detect the seals and barriers. Despite his goofy act on their departure, Kurenai was impressed by the level of preparation Jiraiya had made for this mission. The scrolls he gave Kiba and Hinata explained most of the key concepts of fuinjutsu in such a way that even they could understand, while they only possessed the basic knowledge provided by the academy.

But Kurenai was unsure what to think when she entered the ruins. Jiraiya had removed the seals he had left previously, and they walked on for some time in a dark tunnel, deeper and deeper into the earth.

"How old is this place?", Kiba asked in amazement.

"I'm afraid I do not know", Jiraiya replied. "I have yet to find any reference to this temple, none of the scrolls or books from the Uzumaki clan mention this place, as far as I know."

"We're getting close, next turn left, and then my vision is blocked", Hinata reported. She walked in front of the group, her byakugan activated with regular intervals, while the other carried the torches.

Akamaru barked a few times, softly. Kiba nodded. "That's the barrier alright, though I can't smell any dangerous chakra at all."

Walking towards the barrier, they saw what looked like a large window made of dark-coloured glass, though there was no reflection. The walls of the tunnel had widened a bit, and instead of the past lack of decoration, the walls here were embellished with several large human figures. All of the figures on their side to of the barrier seemed to be suffering, while those they could see on the other side seemed to be viciously defending.

"This is amazing..", Kurenai said is an astonished voice. "Such a barrier… I've never seen something like it. It's completely flawless.."

"I can't see any opening, nor anything that might be used as an anchor to keep the barrier up", Hinata agreed with a voice which reflected her sense of helplessness. "Perhaps there is something on the other side, but I can't see through the barrier.."

Again, Hinata felt useless. What would her father say if he saw her now? A true heir would have been able to achieve _something_.

"Don't worry, I did not expect you to Hinata", Jiraiya assured her, having seen her loss of confidence. "Last time I was here, I took one of the Hyuga clan with me as well, your uncle Hizashi. He saw just as much as you do now." The girl spurred her eyes wide open, knowing full well that, even compared to her father, Hizashi did not lag behind in skill.

"So how are we going to get past this thing?", Kiba asked while cautiously touching the barrier. When nothing happened, Akamaru walked towards it as well to touch and smell the barrier.

"I'll try", Naruto spoke, looking at Jiraiya. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, but if your theory is correct, at least _something_ should happen, right?"

"What the.." Kiba exclaimed. Naruto put out his arm to touch the seemingly solid glass wall, but nothing changed. Except that Naruto's arm had just passed the barrier.

"Hmmm, so the barrier does not reject you, but does not change either", Jiriaya remarked after examining the barrier. Though Naruto's right arm had moved through, the barrier remained completely solid to the others.

"It feels kinda strange though", Naruto frowned. "Almost as if I had to generate chakra in order to get through it."

Jiraiya sighed, and looked at Kurenai, who nodded. "Ok Naruto. It seems like you can get past this barrier, so you should be able to look at the other side and figure out a way to get the barrier down. But listen very carefully: do not take any risk. We will talk you through it, but we can't help you if you get in trouble while this barrier is up."

"'kay", Naruto said, before walking through. He touched his stomach. "Well that felt weird.. Ok, can you guys hear me?"

The others confirmed, looking at the blond boy as he started to thoroughly investigate the area. "I can't see a damned thing in here.. I'll walk down the corridors a bit further. If I see anything suspicious, I'll send at it a clone first."

"Good luck", Jiraiya answered. "And be careful.."

Kurenai frowned. "When you removed the other barriers placed in the ruins, were they dangerous?"

"No, not really. Most of them were designed to prevent animals or people from entering. The last barrier which I was able to take down was a little dangerous, as it repelled any jutsu used against it. That's why I told Naruto not to use any jutsu without first testing it with a clone.."

Still, the genin and their sensei were not completely reassured, seeing the frown on the toad sage's face.

'_Please be all right_', Hinata prayed.

* * *

After he had left the room with the glass wall, Naruto had walked a few hundred meters before the corridor ended. Just before reaching that end, Naruto spotted a hole in the floor. Sending out a kage bunshin, he figured out the pitch black hole was not deep, though when the memories of the clone returned to him, Naruto wondered why there was a light in the distance.

Jumping down, Naruto walked towards the light. Cautiously, he made a few clones, letting them check the area for traps.

The boy frowned. There was a bright barrier in another open room which the clones could not get near to. It drained them till they dissolved. Perhaps this was another one of those jutsu-wards that the super pervert had spoken about earlier. He decided to take a risk.

"What the.." Naruto wondered, as he could touch the barrier without any consequence. The light felt nice and warm, almost reassuring. And strangely familiar. Unable to find any way to bring the barrier down, Naruto decided that the barrier wasn't meant to hurt. '_I probably should get back.._', he pondered. '_But there doesn't seem any risk. Perhaps it is just like that glass thing, and I can just step through it.. Perhaps the way to take the other barrier down is behind this one?_'

Naruto shrugged, and entered after his curiousity won over his caution.

* * *

**A/N**: "Don't do it, Narutooooooo"

-Z-


	14. The trident

**The trident**

* * *

The dark underground corridor had vanished.

"W-Wow.." Naruto's exclaimed, when his eyes had adjusted to the bright light. He was somehow standing in a great green valley. The scenery amazed the boy, with forests covering the mountainous area as far as Naruto could see, and a mighty river at the centre of the valley. Naruto had the amazing view because he was standing atop a plateau, next to a waterfall.

"Welcome, young one", a deep voice startled Naruto. "It has been quite some time since someone entered the sanctum. Longer than I dare to remember.."

"What.. Who are you?", Naruto asked the man suspiciously. The man had long red hair, though his age could be seen by the few grey hairs Naruto could see. He wore black clothing with long sleeves under his body armour, and seemed to be as tall and muscular as Jiraiya. But the thing which drew Naruto's attention was the Uzumaki emblem on each of the man's shoulders. "You're an Uzumaki?"

The man frowned a bit. "Do you not know? Have you entered without going through the proper rites? Has no one told you what this place is?"

"Rites?", Naruto asked, completely confused. "Gramps, I just stepped through a barrier in that ruin of a temple."

"Ruin?", the man asked sharply. "I see..", a weary sigh. "It appear that more time must have passed than I had ever imagined. Tell me, young one, why did the clan send you here?"

Hesitantly, Naruto told the man what he knew about the sad fate of the Uzumaki clan, and told him of the mission he was sent on. The old man may have been strange, but there was no malice in him, as far as Naruto could notice. The chakra which the man emitted was strange, though. Almost ethereal, despite the large amount of it. It had something unnatural.

"I see.. So you are the last heir of our clan, who unknowingly entered the sanctum, ordered by Konohagakure, the city founded by our Senju-brothers", the man summarized. He seemed torn. "This overrides every protocol placed on this seal."

"Wait, you say we are _inside_ a seal right now?", Naruto exclaimed.

The man looked at his surroundings. "Correct. When the end of my life drew near, I sealed myself in this place in order to preserve my knowledge to the next one capable of bearing my responsibility."

He started pacing around. "Our clan is among the eldest clans in our world, hailing from the time when the greatest of all shinobi lived: the sage of the six paths. Stories told us that our ancestors received a weapon from the sage, and that he ordered us to hide that weapon because there would come a day when the world would need it."

Naruto frowned, recalling a reference to this shinobi in one of the history books. "That's centuries ago… You mean you have protected this thing for all that time?"

"No, not just me. Many of our clan tried to use it, but usually its power proved too great for us to use. Only a select few people have been able to survive the bonding with the weapon, and even to those, using the weapon was exceedingly difficult. Apart from me, there have only been four others in our entire history.. I was the last, and used much of my life force by using the weapon, causing my early death at eighty four year of age. Which was considered to be young in our clan", he added with a smile, upon Naruto's look.

The man stopped walked an looked pensively at the last of his clan.

"No, the legendary trident Gekihoko is a weapon too powerful for most, its chakra consumption often proved to be far too high, even for most of our greatest warriors. But I see you are not like any man, the seal on your stomach holds a power which defies all reason. Perhaps you were the one meant to receive Gekihoko.."

"Wait.. How do you know? What is this Geki-something? And what did you mean with 'bonding'?"

"The Gekihoko is weapon which takes the shape of a trident. But.. It is unlike any other weapon, as it has no solid form. The trident is shaped using the wielder's chakra, and has the ability to disrupt any jutsu it touches. For instance, while you summon the trident, no genjutsu will affect you, and any fuinjutsu you touch with it will dissolve. For generations, our clan has used this weapon to hunt down those of our clan who went rogue."

"So because it uses your chakra, it has to bond with you first?"

"Partially. Upon touching the seal containing the Gekihoko, the weapon will see whether the potential wielder is worthy or not. If proven worthy, it will be embedded in a divine seal on the main hand of its new wielder, residing there until his or her death. You, who are believed to be the last of our clan, should inherit the weapon, and ensure this relic will not be lost. Whatever reasoning the sage of the six paths once followed, I cannot deny the power of the Gekihoko."

"Wait.. So what is.."

"I bid you farewell, Uzumaki Naruto. I, Uzumaki Ryota, last wielder of the Gekihoko, deem you worthy of becoming the next wielder, both because of necessity and of quality."

As Uzumaki Ryota bowed respectfully to the last of his clan, the sun which had illuminated the valley dimmed. The sounds from the forest silenced. The waterfall stopped.

And then the sun exploded.

* * *

Jiraiya was anxious. '_What is keeping Naruto away for this long_?', he pondered, while pacing from left to right.

"Don't worry Hinata, I am sure Naruto will return soon", Kurenai tried to reassure the worried girl.

Kiba grimaced. "What is keeping him so damn long. If he faced another damned barrier.."

A large explosion sounded, cutting of whatever Kiba wanted to say. The stone trembled, and a huge dustcloud blew through the tunnel. The dark-coloured barrier flickered once, and then disappeared.

"Naruto!", Hinata cried out, her face torn by a horrified expression, as she jumped into the dark, with the others following her as fast as they could.

* * *

The moment the fake sun had exploded Naruto's body felt like it burned away for real. Excruciating pain blinded him, and all he could do was scream.

Scream until his lungs started to hurt.

In a faraway corner of his mind, Naruto registered the Kyuubi's chakra erupting from his skin, tearing apart his skin, while the blood flowing into the chakra which now surrounded him, as if it became like new flesh.

So this was his end.

This was his fate. And he could finally rest.

No more pain. No more sorrow. Peace. Finally..

Naruto noticed how his cries changed into a howling, as if his voice had changed into that of an animal.

He noticed how all senses, his eyes, ears, and nose suddenly improved.

He noticed the cries of Hinata echoing through the corridors, the sound of Jiraiya's wooden geta's on the stone, and the panicked barks from Akamaru followed by Kiba's curses.

He noticed how his balance changed, as he felt his tails behind him. Vaguely wondering when those had grown out of him.

But more than anything, he felt his right hand burn.

* * *

"No.." Jiraiya gasped. "Get back, NOW!" He shouted as the other came close. Kurenai stepped up, and halted Kiba and Hinata before they could enter the last room.

Jiraiya cursed as he saw the solid red chakra of the demonic fox amidst the inferno that had erupted in the chamber. Jiraiya was filled a panic which had not felt for decades. This is what the scrolls had described as the second form of release, implying that Naruto was only moments away from losing control.

But before Jiraiya could think of anything to save his godson, the red chakra exploded.

* * *

Standing amidst the flames and destruction, Naruto noticed Jiraiya shouting at him. '_Why is he here_', Naruto started to think, too dazed and exhausted to think. '_Where am I?'_

Naruto felt his numb body and his right hand burn, as if its flesh had molten from his bones. But the hand was intact, and was holding _something_.

A large, three headed spear was in his right hand. As long as Naruto himself, the weapon was remarkably light. And beautiful, despite its dull steel colour. The middle spearhead was a little longer than the two beside it. '_It's not a spear, but a trident_', Naruto slowly realized. '_So this is that Gekihoko..'_

"Drop it, now", he heard a voice growl inside him. "Unless you want us both to die", the voice urged.

"What do you want now, you stupid fox?", Naruto replied on a weary tone.

"Silence!", the fox growled back, with a hint of worry that scared Naruto. "I remember this weapon.. Drop it now, before it consumes all of our chakra. I cannot sustain you much longer from this place.."

"Hurry", the fox urged. "NOW!"

Naruto let go of the trident, but noticed that it dissolved before it could reach the ground. He felt the Kyuubi withdraw along with the fire that filled the room. The enormous amount of chakra that had enveloped him destabilized and exploded, as the world started spinning.

And everything went dark.

* * *

Hinata was sitting on the ground, her face filled with tears, but too exhausted to continue crying. Kiba was equally exhausted, but could not stop pacing around. Akamaru held watch in front of the tent where Jiraiya and Kurenai had spent the last two hours, trying to heal Naruto.

With the risk of have the ruins collapse due to the previous explosion, they had to drag Naruto outside the ruins. Whatever had happened to him, Kiba had seen that his teammate had lost nearly all of his skin. As if someone had flayed him. Most clothes had been disintegrated, even the so called fireproof pants the Uzumaki had worn was burned.

The loss of blood was bad enough, but according to the few things Hinata had managed to say, Kiba understood that Naruto's chakra had been nearly depleted, while his chakra network had been severly damaged by the overload. If Kiba hadn't seen the red, three-tailed creature, he would not have believed it. "What the hell was that", Kiba muttered, not for the first time.

Hinata's head jerked up as the opening of the tent suddenly moved. Kurenai stepped out, with a pale and completely drained look. "He is stable for now", she spoke, weakly.

"He survived, but he needs rest now. Jiraiya will stay with him first, and we will continue healing him tomorrow. One of you please take the first watch", she added before she stepped in her tent, dropping onto her blanket, instantly asleep.

"I'll take watch", Hinata said, her byakugan aimed at the old man's tent. "I would not be able to sleep anyway", she explained before Kiba could protest.

Kiba shrugged. At least his teammate had survived. "Wake me in an hour, you look like hell so you won't stay awake for much longer."

* * *

It took Jiraiya and Kurenai two more days to heal Naruto, despite the fact that the latter possessed an incredible healing ability.

"I'm sorry I screwed up like this", Naruto said, after he heard what had happened. His face was still hollow, showing he had yet to fully recover. His skin had returned, and remarkably enough: there was not a scar to be found. He did lose a lot of weight, and looked as if he not eaten a proper meal in weeks.

Naruto had woken up an hour ago, and after having had something to eat and drink, he now started talking.

"You should be", Jiraiya grumbled. "You're lucky that your sensei is a better healer than I am. What the hell did you do down there? I told you not to take any risks!"

Kurenai frowned, and gestured Jiraiya to calm down. "Take your time Naruto, but I would like to hear about it too." Kiba's unintelligible grumbling seemed to be an agreement.

Stroking Akamaru, who had crouched down next to him, Naruto started to explain. How he could not find anything to remove the barrier, how he had walked on until he had finally found the luminescent barrier.

"When I entered that barrier… I entered the seal itself, somehow I got in a strange, bright, valley."

"That must've been a combination of space-time and sealing jutsu.. But that should be impossible.." Jiraiya said, deeply impressed. "Damn shame that seal was burned away afterwards, the things we could've learned.."

Naruto frowned and looked away.

"What happened in there, Naruto?", Kurenai asked gently.

Naruto sighed. "It contained a secret of my clan, which was passed down to me." He held up his hand. Kurenai frowned, neither she nor Jiraiya understood that seal.

"He called it a divine seal."

Jiraiya looked perplexed. "Divine seal?", he exclaimed. "That's impossible! That technique was lost even before the Uzumaki fell!"

"I guess that was not the issue in this case", Naruto said, with a weak grin. "I.. Met someone. He resided in that seal, and gave me a secret which my clan had kept for centuries."

He looked at them, noticing that they were a little offended by his refusal to tell. "I am sorry, but I cannot tell. Not yet."

Too tired to properly think, he continued. "But that secret was burned into my flesh, and took quite a toll. If not for the fox, I would not have survived… Ironic, how that bastard saved me even while he ruined my life. Well, most likely to save itself.. Perhaps I.. Should.. Thank…"

Jiraiya saw that Naruto had fallen asleep. "Let him rest for now. I'll stay close, in case anything changes, so you guys take some rest."

* * *

"What fox?" Kiba said when they were outside the tent.

Hinata looked away, something which Kiba noticed. "You know, don't you, Hinata? What was that thing we saw in the ruins?"

"Kiba!", Kurenai barked, still too tired to start this discussion. "This is not the time..."

Hinata cut her off. "No, sensei. I think Kiba-kun should know, now that he has seen it. It could be worse if he drew wrong conclusions or told other people about what he has seen."

"You know? How.."

"Naruto-kun told me, sensei. I will not say that I completely understand, but this is too important. And Naruto revealed it himself, so we won't break any law."

"Maybe you are right.." Kurenai sighed. She was still exhausted. But Hinata was right, Kiba's nescience could form a danger at this point. She shuddered at the thought at what might happen if Naruto's outburst became public knowledge…

* * *

"Tsk", the Kyuubi said. "Still not recovered. Weak human."

Naruto looked up, last thing he knew was talking to his team about what had happened.

"You're asleep at the moment", the monster growled, seeing the kid's confusion. "I only drew you here to make something clear."

"Thank you", Naruto said, before the fox could continue.

"What?", the fox's eyes narrowed. "I don't need your damned thanks! If you want to thank me: get me out of this prison!"

"I don't know how to do that, but I do know you saved my live. And for that I should at least thank you.."

The fox grumbled darkly, seemingly unsure whether Naruto was mocking him or not.

"Whatever. Listen, you need to know about that weapon. I suggest keeping it a secret is wise, though you might tell that frog summoning fool. But do not use that weapon again. I do not intend to die, and you will get me killed if you summon the old man's trident now."

The monster looked a bit conflicted. "Perhaps you should try it again when you're not so pathetic any more.." The fox chuckled. "But that will take a few years.."

'_And in that time I can break free.. The old man's trident would be a useful bonus to have..',_ the Kyuubi smirked.

* * *

"Jiraiya-sama", Kurenai called.

"Yeah, what's wrong", the toad sage reacted, irritated by the disturbance. The exhaustion weighed down the old man as well. In his worry about Naruto the man had hardly been able to sleep.

"Kiba has seen and heard too much to keep things a secret."

Jiraiya sighed. "I guess so. Just tell him if you think it is right."

"You are the leader of our mission, and if am I not mistaken you are also in charge of looking after Naruto.."

'_Annoyingly sharp witted woman_', Jiraiya grumbled internally. "Fine, I'll tell the Inuzuka as well. And you better keep this a secret, boy, and don't cause Naruto any more trouble, or I'll gut you myself", Jiraiya added darkly. Kiba paled a bit at the sage's theat.

"Naruto carries the Kyuubi within him", Jiraiya continued with a grim voice. "Or better, he carries the seal in which the monster was locked away by my former pupil, the Yondaime Hokage. From what Naruto just told, I think the Kyuubi saved Naruto's life when that divine seal was created. Naruto's own chakra supply could not do it, so the creature jumped in. Probably just to save its own life, because it would've died along with Naruto if it had not interfered. The thing you saw a couple of days ago, was the partial transformation of Naruto into the Kyuubi."

Jiraiya returned to the tent before Kiba had managed to close his mouth, which had fallen open in shock. Or even consider to ask any question.

"This is Naruto's burden", Hinata said softly. "This is why people fear him and hate him, even though he cannot help it…" She managed to startle Kiba with an unusual fierce look. "And I hope you will not hate him now you know."

"Also note that this is an S-class secret", Kurenai added. "Though many people know, it is forbidden to talk about it. Those who break the Hokage's law will face a death penalty. Though I do not think Jiraiya-sama would wait that long, in this case.."

Having lost his voice, Kiba just nodded. Finally he knew Naruto's secret, yet knowing did not make him any happier. Though he was impulsive and short-tempered, Kiba had seen that Naruto was burdened by _something_. But this… This was just too huge. Too unreal. Like many others, the Inuzuka had also lost members of their clan, the day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. But from what Kiba now heard, nothing of this was Naruto's fault. Yet everyone seemed to blame him.

"Why", he finally managed. "Why should he suffer for things he did not do himself?"

"Because a lot of people fail to see the difference between the jailor and the prisoner, and many of those who don't, simply fear Naruto because he might one day lose control of the Kyuubi", Kurenai replied with a sad voice.

* * *

After another six days had passed, Naruto was good to go. Though he was still tired, he was anxious to leave the place where he had nearly died. Having destroyed his own clothes, Naruto now wore spare clothes from Jiraiya. Well, a shrunk version of them. Though he regretted not having his own mesh armour underneath, Naruto liked the green kimono and pants better than his own black and white set of clothes. The red haori on top of it was just awesome. And the spare hand guards Jiraiya gave him also hid his divine seal from unwanted eyes. Thanks to Kiba who had a spare set of sandal (very old ones) he also didn't need to walk on his bare feet. Because Naruto refused to wear the wooden creations that Jiraiya wore.

The only thing he missed was his own belt and scrolls, but he could buy new ones when he got back in Konoha.

"Thanks", he smiled at the two, after showing his new style.

"It actually looks better than I had anticipated", Kurenai complimented him. "The green is quite stealthy, though the red haori is far too noticeable during missions." Hinata was just happy Naruto didn't see her blush.

"Too noticeable?", Jiraiya frowned, looking at his own. "Shinobi should be stylish as well."

"The red might be useful for giving the enemy a fair chance", Kiba smirked, "So that they can run away first, before Naruto can attack and gobble them all up.."

"Perhaps I should draw a fox on it as wel?l", Naruto joked. He was a bit startled when he had found out Kiba was informed about his burden by the others, though when he heard from Jiraiya and Kurenai what they had seen, he understood their decision. In the end, he was relieved. Though Kiba did not lie about his fear for the Kyuubi itself, the young Inuzuka understood Naruto was not at fault at all.

He actually made fun of the ignorance of the other people, much to Naruto's amusement.

The relaxed atmosphere made the way back more enjoyable, despite their slow pace. Kurenai still insisted that Naruto should use as little chakra as possible, and Jiraiya agreed. Hinata even insisted on taking more breaks, as she didn't trust the damage done to Naruto's chakra network.

Naruto was a little embarrassed by all the attention, but he eventually settled that it nice that someone cared about him. '_I still have a lot of training to do till I'm truly strong, and not need to depend on anyone else anymore'_, were his concluding thoughts.

* * *

Kurenai had finished her report of the mission. Jiraiya thought she was the best person to tell all of it to the Hokage, partially to avoid a scolding from his former sensei.

Hiruzen frowned, not liking the secrecy from Naruto's side. "All right, I thank you all for your efforts. I suggest team 8 spends the rest of the time on training. There are less than two weeks left until the chunin exams will start."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama", Kurenai bowed, followed by her genin.

"Naruto, I would like to speak with you and Jiraiya first", Hiruzen said, stopping Naruto from leaving the office along with his team members. "Also, I would like all of you to keep all information regarding this mission a secret for now", he added. "Though I'll make sure you each get a payment for an A-ranked mission."

As the others left, Jiraiya closed the door. Hiruzen activated a seal preventing anyone else from 'accidentally' overhearing anything said in his office. "No one else will hear us now. Might I ask what truly happened?"

Naruto sighed.

"When I entered the final seal, I met someone from my own clan. Uzumaki Ryota, I though he said his name was… Anyway, he told me he sealed himself before he would die, along with a powerful relic which the Uzumaki clan had kept secret for centuries." Naruto frowned a bit. "I guess I should tell you, in case something happens to me."

"That relic was the spear you were holding after you broke out of the Kyuubi's control?", Jiraiya asked.

"A trident", Naruto corrected him. "Ryota told me it was something created by the sage of the six paths, and handed by him to the Uzumaki clan. The trident is named the Gekihoko, and according to Ryota it can disrupt any jutsu, though it consumes a lot of chakra to summon and use the weapon."

Naruto sighed and looked at his right hand.

"Ryota said he had to transfer the weapon to me, after he learned from me that I was the last of our clan", Naruto continued. "The sun within the illusionary valley exploded, and my hand started burning."

Naruto removed his hand guard, showing the divine seal on his hand. "I was told that the Gekihoko would be embedded in a divine seal, and that this seal would be placed on my main hand. However, the transfer itself consumed a high amount of chakra… The Kyuubi chose to help me, in order to avoid dying himself as well. I do not really know what happened afterwards, besides pain."

"He reached the second stage of transforming into the Kyuubi, three tails, and more chakra than I had ever expected to see from him at this point", Jiraiya said grimly. "It was as if I was looking at a tiny Kyuubi. The insane amount of chakra that had flown through Naruto almost destroyed his chakra network." Jiraiya sighed. "You really were on a hair's breadth from death, brat."

"Thanks for saving me", Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"These are truly serious matters", Hiruzen said. "To think you retrieved one of Rikudo's relics."

Hiruzen decided. "This will be an S-class secret, none of it will ever be recorded, and this information will be restricted to the three of us. And to those who will succeed us, as either Hokage or leader of the Uzumaki clan, or the next owner of this weapon."

Jiraiya and Naruto agreed. "I will make sure Kurenai, Kiba, and Hinata won't share any information regarding this mission", Jiraiya added. "If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have waited another couple of years… Dammit, I just expected some secret scrolls and books.."

* * *

Informing the rest of team 8 turned out to be easy, as they were waiting outside the building. Kurenai said that they had to report in at training ground three at ten, tomorrow.

She, Kiba and Jiraiya each went their own way, as Hinata and Naruto continued to the Hyuga manor. "Do you think you are already strong enough to train tomorrow, Naruto-kun?", she asked nervously.

"Probably. I never really had this much trouble with healing before. It was supposed to be one of the advantages of that fox", he smiled. "Guess it really was a close call… I'd better not tell Ako or Haruki.. They'll kill me for being reckless. Well, Ako will.."

She smiled, and remained silent for a little while. "Does it bother you Kiba-kun knows about you now?"

Naruto frowned. "It was quite a surprise when I woke up. Not sure if it bothered me, but I'm glad Kiba didn't take it out on me."

"Jiraiya-sama promised to gut him if he did", Hinata said on a serious tone.

Naruto shook his head in denial. "No, that wasn't it. If Kiba hated me, I would have noticed the difference. I think Kiba is either too honest, or too stupid to lie", Naruto laughed.

The two teens were still smiling when they entered the Hyuga manor. "Meet here at nine thirty?", Naruto asked.

* * *

**A/N:** And that concludes the "genin arc". I will now move on to the "chunin exam arc". That will be spanning approx. 15 chapters according to my current plannig, but I have yet to finish the arc. So for now, I will be a bit slower on the updates. I plan to finish wrapping up the storylines of the conclusion of the exams in the upcoming few days, and after that I will post the next new chapter!

-Z-

* * *

**_About the gekihoko_**

I got the idea from this place, while I was searching for a weapon for Naruto: www dot onmarkproductions dot com slash html slash objects-symbols-weapons-senju dot html

Later on, I also found several theories going around about the weapons the Sage of the Six Paths was using. I used those theories and made a little guess: the Tetsuko was used by Hamura, while Hagoromo used the Shakujo. (Note: both weapons which can also be found on that site). Obviously, these weapons are borrowed from the same Buddhist traditions, so I thought the Gekihoko would fit in perfectly. I quote: "_The trident also represents triumph over ignorance. In some traditions, the three-pronged trident also symbolizes the destruction of the three poisons (greed, anger, and ignorance.)_" Also, from other sources: the gekihoko is associated with thunder and with rivers. It represents power over creation, preservation, and destruction, also the power of will, knowledge, and action.  
Note: the weapon has various names, it could also be called the 'Trishula', but I liked 'Gekihoko' better.

Of course, this weapon is not something which is easy to use, with only the strongest among the Uzumaki being able to properly use it, so we will not see much of it any time soon. Right now, Naruto is still too weak to use it. Let's just say it is one of the two things I add to improve Naruto, so I do not have to resort to the illogical powerups that we see in the manga. Though, I will add that the gekihoko will get a crucial role later on..


	15. Training

**Training**

* * *

"Good morning, Hinata-sama", Naruto said teasingly, knowing how much she resented it.

She sighed. "You'll never stop doing that, will you?"

"Probably", he smirked.

"So you really changed to green", another voice behind them spoke up.

"Hitomi-sama", Naruto bowed. "Yes, I started to like it. I guess I needed a change."

She looked at him. The boy wore a green short kimono, with long sleeves which almost covered his hand guards. He wore pants of the same colour, and black sandals. Several scrolls were attached to his black belt. Though he had dropped the red haori, much too her agreement. On the other hand, she saw Haruki had given him a couple of his old shoulder guards.

"You look like a real shinobi now", she complimented him.

"Ahhh thanks. I guess?", he said, confused how to answer.

She chuckled. "Now, go you two, and train hard."

They bowed and left.

As she saw them leaving, she smiled. They grew up faster than she had realized. The boy's burden forced him to, while her shy daughter followed in his footsteps, constantly looking at the boy she admired. And Hitomi thought her daughter was right, a child of his age facing such hardships and still be sane, was nothing short of a miracle.

'_No, not a miracle, it is his strength. Below his anger.. Something about his personality just glows with a gentle power I never expected to see from him. And Hinata saw it… Perhaps her eyes truly have the potential to surpass to my own_', Hitomi thought. '_If only I could find a way to make Hiashi see.. His focus on strength makes him blind to the truth.'_

But there were more urgent matters. Several things within her clan did not add up. The branch's hatred toward the main family had been increasing, despite her efforts. Hiashi noticed, and his response only fuelled the fires of hatred. But Hiashi was not the original source of all this hatred, someone else was manipulating them from the shadows. But who? And what was there to gain from such a dispute?

* * *

"Good morning Naruto!", Ayame greeted the boy cheerfully, before widening his eyes. "On a date? This early in the morning?", she teased, seeing the blond being unusually cheerful.

"Don't bother our best customer", Teuchi scolded her with a smile on his lips. "The usual?"

"Errr.. Yeah", Naruto frowned. "And you, Hinata?"

"I-I just had breakfast, N-Naruto-kun", the girl hesitated.

"Eh? What would that have to do with ramen?", Naruto blinked, not understanding why someone could not have an appetite for his favourite dish.

"Well… If it had been cinnamon rolls", Hinata blushed. "But.."

"Ok", Naruto shrugged. Hinata saw him create a clone, one which took some of his money with him.

"Naruto-kun?"

"He'll fetch a few for you", Naruto smiled.

"You're treating a girl?", Teuchi remarked when he put down Naruto's bowl of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet. "I'd almost think Ayame's instincts are right."

"She my teammate", Naruto retorted, seconds before he dove into his food.

"Hyuga Hinata", Hinata bowed her head to the chef of Ichiraku and his daughter. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise", Ayame smiled. "My name is Ayame, and this is my father Teuchi."

"So you're one of Naruto's new teammates?", she asked curiously.

"Ah.. Yes", Hinata nodded. "Naruto-kun was transferred in my team a while ago."

"Good thing he did", Teuchi frowned. "Naruto actually smiles now. Even when he isn't looking at my ramen. But it is sad he doesn't eat as often here now."

"I always came here after my training with Gai-sensei", Naruto explained, before he continued eating.

"Have you been ill, Naruto?", Ayame noticing that the boy's weight had diminished quite a lot.

"Still recovering", Naruto replied with his mouth full.

"Then I'd better prepare another bowl", Teuchi said generously. "Can't have my best customer being weakened, right?"

* * *

"She looked rather friendly", Ayame remarked when the two genin left.

"Indeed", Teuchi nodded. "And a Hyuga of the main family.. Not bad for him."

Ayame chuckled. "Not that he realizes it himself. Hell, I doubt she would even dare to admit it to herself.. You don't often see such a shy and gentle girl. Especially not from such high clans."

"Well, I doubt anyone who wasn't that kind would have gotten through to him…"

"Maybe", Ayame agreed. "But have you ever seen him treat someone else? Well, aside from that handsome teacher of his", she added with a faint smile.

Teuchi coughed, pretending not to have heard anything.

* * *

"Good morning team", Kurenai started. "For the next few days, I would like to start you elemental training. As I am aware that Naruto has already started this, I arranged someone else to help him. In return for his help, you will be facing his team in a couple of days."

She pointed Naruto to the location where he would be expected, and started to educate Hinata and Kiba after he jumped off.

"First thing we will need to know is the type of chakra you have an affinity towards. We test this by putting some chakra in a piece of this special paper", she handed the two each a paper. "If it ignites, you have an affinity towards fire, if it splits, wind, if it wrinkes, lighting, if it turns to dirt and crumbles, earth, and lastly, if it becomes wet or damp, you have an affinity towards water. No single type is best, though each have their own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, having an affinity towards one type does not mean you cannot master another, is simply means that you will have to work harder to master those other types."

"So an affinity is restricted to one type?" Kiba asked. "How come Naruto has two?"

"Because of the Kyuubi's influence. Its chakra affects Naruto somehow, and enables him to use katon as easily as futon. In addition, he says that he is virtually immume to fire-based attacks." Kurenai added, now in full lecture mode. "Luckily, his burden does not only have disadvantages, but also a few advantages. Here Akamaru, you should try it as well."

Hinata smiled a little, before focussing on her piece of paper.

It turned out that both Kiba and Akamaru had an affinity towards earth, while Hinata had an affinity towards water. "Good", Kurenai concluded, "that means that Hinata should work on mastering suiton jutsus, while Kiba and Akamaru should focus on doton. The will be easier for you to learn, and the resulting jutsu will be more powerful. Though I don't know if Akamaru can perform any jutsu which normally requires hand seals, you should probably ask your family about that."

Kurenai paused a moment before continuing.

"Let's see.. I said that each type of chakra has their advantages and disadvantages. In general, it can be said that each type has one type it is strong against, and one at which it is weak against. In your case, Hinata, it can be said that water is weak against earth, while strong against fire based attacks. Kiba and Akamaru will be strong against water-types, while weak against lightning." Both teens and the dog nodded at hearing Kurenai explanation.

"And.." Hinata started.

"And for Naruto", Kurenai guessed what the girl wanted to ask, "His fire is weak against water, but strong against wind, but he also has an affinity towards wind, which is strong against lightning. In essence, Naruto could improve his own fire-based jutsu by using the wind element, however this is something extremely difficult."

"So I can beat Hinata, and she can beat Naruto?", Kiba asked.

"It is not that simple, Kiba", Kurenai frowned. "Though it is true you all have advantages towards each other, there are other factors that are important. For instance how strong the techniques are: an A-rank suiton will beat a D-rank doton, even though the doton has a relative advantage. Similarly, if one puts a great deal of chakra in a lower ranked technique, he or she could defeat a much higher ranked technique if that one is powered by a lower amount of chakra."

"So we still have nothing?", Kiba frowned.

"No, not yet", Kurenai smiled, "But you do know where to start training now. Your affinity does not say you can't use other elements, but simply that you have one particular element in which you excel. You could both use doton, but Kiba would have to spend far less chakra to get the same effect. But before all that, there is one more exercise I need you to do…"

* * *

Kurenai had sent Naruto to Sarutobi Asuma, the jonin-sensei of team 10. Something which didn't surprise Naruto much, considering how close the two jonin were. "Good morning", the older man greeted. "Kurenai asked me to teach you a few basics regarding futon and katon."

Naruto nodded. "You possess an affinity to both types as well?"

"No, no", Asuma laughed, "But as someone from the Sarutobi clan, katon was a given. I had to work hard to master futon as well."

At the end of the day, Naruto's head was spinning from all the information he had yet to process. At least he now knew the basics of jutsus called the 'renkudan', or air bullet, as well as the longer ranged 'wind cutter' which Asuma picked up from someone from Suna. Asuma had paid less attention to the katon jutsu's, as Naruto already knew a little more about those. Yet he did teach him a basic fireball jutsu.

Still, this was mostly in theory, as Asuma had been wary not to overburden the still weakened Naruto.

With less than two weeks to go, Naruto knew he his work cut out for him. Mastering these thee new skills would be a challenge, though equally rewarding. Naruto was well aware that beyond his fuinjutsu, his skillset was rather a mess. Beyond that, he could still feel that he had yet to completely recover from all the damage he had sustained. When he finally reached his cottage, he dropped into his bed without bothering to change.

'_Damn.. I never had to spend so much time on recovering.. That trident-business really got me almost killed'_, he considered. But from what the Kyuubi had told him, Naruto knew that this weapon was far stronger than he had initially expected. If it was enough to scare a demon.. '_Now I only need to get either the old man or the pervert willing to tell me about that six paths guy.. He was supposed to be a darned myth, according to all the books that mention him. And that damned fox doesn't want to tell either..'_

Normally, Naruto had little trouble with figuring out secrets. His stealth seal took care of that, even when he lived amidst the Hyuga. But how could he find something that was – apparently – not documented?

And exactly because he knew that he could not figure out this secret himself, just like with the mysterious scroll from Gato's office that Konoha's cryptology department was now researching, Naruto knew well enough that keeping secrets only to himself would be pointless. With no other Uzumaki around he would have to find _some_ way to master using the Gekihoko. Even if it required him to ask help from others, no matter how much he disliked doing that.

'_Learning some new jutsus is easy, but figuring out stuff that is as secret as this.. Like Shikamaru always says: troublesome_', Naruto jawned, before falling asleep.

* * *

"Hey Naruto!", Kiba shouted, when the blond showed up at their training ground next morning. "Tell me how you did _this_."

Kiba held up a single leave, and frowned at Naruto's response. "What?", he said, upon seeing the horrified look.

"Hizashi-sama and Haruki… My instructors at the Hyuga clan, they made me do that one when they figured I had to refine my chakra control even more…" He shuddered for a moment. "Even with my kage bunshin that was one hell of a shitty exercise."

"Your conditions were completely different", Kurenai interfered, seeing Kiba's shock and Hinata's incoming depressions. "Why don't you tell us what happened, Naruto."

"Hmm. Well first thing that was hard was to make the leaf either cut or burn. Often is just did both.." Naruto frowned. "Especially because I had to control the amount of chakra I used.. If I did not pay enough attention, or just tried too hard, the leaf would explode.. Wasted dozens of good shirts on that."

Kiba chuckled and Hinata blushed, as she imagining how it would've looked like. "S-So it was more difficult because you used two different types of chakra?" Hinata managed to ask.

"I guess that would be the point, yes. Burning the leaf was pretty easy. But cutting it was harder." Naruto scratched the back of his head, but with a serious face for once. "Now I think about it, I learned to distinguish my own chakra and the fox's chakra because of that. I guess they saw with their byakugan why I messed that up, because afterwards the other chakra control exercises became pretty doable as well.. Easy even, as long as I made sure not to use too much chakra."

"Damn", Kiba uttered, "So that was the reason why you always messed up the basic things when you first entered the academy?"

"Yeah. Jiraiya once told me that I had trouble doing the things that required the least amounts of chakra, because I had far too much of it. Still can't do the regular bunshin no jutsu, for example. Well, not that I bother learning it, after I could do the kage bunshin no jutsu.."

"Regular shinobi start out with small chakra reserves for which they have to train hard to increase them", Kurenai explained. "Your 'guest' created the seemingly unique problem of having enormous reserves before learning how to properly wield it."

"Could you show us, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, handing him a leaf.

Naruto focussed a bit, and the leaf was cut in two pieces. Holding on to the two pieces, Naruto frowned a bit, and the leaf burst into flames. Hinata watched it all with her byakugan, noticing that Naruto shaped his chakra. "C-could you do it again, for the futon?", she asked.

And Naruto obeyed. Though a bit uncomfortable with how she stared at him and even leaned a bit towards him.

"How.. Why did you shape you chakra before cutting the leaf?" Hinata asked in surprise.

"Well, after I figured out how to keep my chakra separated, it was relatively easy to figure out how to cut or burn leaves. Burning is simple: just imagine like the chakra you put into the leaf _consumes_ the leaf. Basically, if you put enough chakra into it, it will ignite and burn."

Naruto gave her a sheepish smile. "Unless you put too much chakra into it…", he mimicked an explosion with his hands. "Wind chakra was a bit harder though. In the end it just came down to creating two fields of chakra with collide into each other, sharpening itself in the process. I don't know how to do it for water though. Or earth", he added, looking at Kiba and Akamaru.

"Naruto is correct, the exercise will not work by only forcing your chakra into an object. The paper I gave you is made of a rare kind of tree, and serves as an easy conductor for your chakra. In essence, it does the 'trick' for you. But something which does not conduct chakra that well, such as an ordinary leaf, requires you to figure out the trick for yourself", Kurenai lectured. "If you manage to draw on and use your chakra in such a specific way, your skill will increase substantially. For learning any jutsus, however, you will also need to learn how to manipulate the shape of it, and not just the nature of chakra. So basically, this exercise does both at the most basic level."

"So we will get no help", Kiba grumbled.

"If you wanted things to be easy you should not have become a shinobi", Kurenai retorted sarcastically. "These things are difficult, and for good reason. But the rewards are equally great."

Naruto shrugged, and walked towards the riverbank. He and a dozens of clones tried to execute the futon jutsus Asuma had taught him. "Hmm let's see.. Rat, snake, horse, dog", Naruto and half of his clones said simultaneously while performing the hand seals. A few meters away, the other half of the clones incanted "Tiger, rabbit, dog, ram, dragon."

Throughout the day, the small sighs of wind grew enough in strength to make the effect of the jutsu visible on the water surface. When Kurenai decided to call it a day, she and her other genin students found Naruto, sleeping at the riverbank. "Small wonder", she smiled, watching how Akamaru crept towards the boy. "The feedback from what the clones had learned must have exhausted him in his current condition."

After the sleepy genin finished complaining how Akamaru had bitten him (startling him by barking had not worked), group 8 returned to get some rest.

* * *

"Hokage-sama", Kurenai bowed when she entered the office and closed the doors.

"Kurenai", Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, wondering what had been so urgent that the usually calm woman had demanded to see him.

"Hokage-sama, there are a few things which I need to report."

"Is it about Naruto?"

"Yes. We… I tried to train team eight in how to use and how to dispel genjutsu.. Naruto proved to be incapable of genjutsu, but when it was his turn to disrupt the illusion I cast on them…"

"Yes?", Hiruzen questioned, when the woman fell silent.

"Genjutsu requires someone to change the chakra flows in the victim, thus controlling them... I couldn't do that on Naruto. Hinata used her byakugan, and told me Naruto had two seals on him, one at his right hand, and one on his stomach, in which the genjutsu just would not attach.. And because I did not get a complete control, the combination of Naruto's own chakra, the Kyuubi's chakra, and that other seal disrupted all but the strongest illusions."

Hiruzen nodded. "I was aware that fully trained jinchuriki were virtually immune to genjutsu… Even if the host is caught, the bijuu would simply disrupt it."

"Naruto has a lot of work to do before I would say he is fully controlling the Kyuubi", Kurenai frowned. "What is that second seal doing? I've read reports from the academy stating that he was not immune to genjutsu back then, so what did the new seal change?."

"I am aware about Naruto's second seal", Hiruzen admitted. "But it is not something which I can or will share. It is a secret. And for good reasons. I do not think I need to ask you to keep silent about this, as in many cases when it comes to Naruto.." He did not voice his worries about what would happen if Naruto lost control of the Kyuubi now, since genjutsu was the only known weakness of the creature. Though it also meant that others could not abuse Naruto's weakness against genjutsu now.

"Yes, Hokage-sama", Kurenai heard in his voice that further discussion would be pointless. She knew the seal on Naruto's hand was special, but it was virtually unheard of that a seal could do such a thing with genjutsu.

Then again, Naruto did many things that were supposed to be impossible. She started to agree with Kakashi's assessment of Naruto as him being the village's number one unpredictable ninja.

* * *

**A/N**: And thus I present to you the first chapter of the chunin exam arc. First some training, then some duels, and perhaps a bit of food or a present. Then we go to the three round of the exam, and it's sorrowful conclusion..

-Z-

PS: I know my mastery of English isn't exactly perfect, and I do not really know how the whole beta thing works either, but if anyone is prepared to help me correct my grammar mistakes, please tell.

* * *

_**Bonus**_

Chie was curious. An old teacher of Naruto had visited the manor, but of course: Naruto was not at home. Chie grew bored of it; the boy was continuously training, sneaking of early in the morning, and coming home after dark. And she had no one to annoy the entire day.

No, what had been a nice distraction from her boredom, was the way Ako had reacted. '_Ako-sama never acts that shy.. Unless.._', Chie chuckled and realized what she would have to do.

* * *

"Ako-san! Long-time no see!", Ayame smiled. She had known Ako for a while now, seeing how Naruto was often to be found at Ichiraku's. And because both young women were of about the same age, they had little difficulty talking with each other. Which had developed into a friendship of sorts, over time.

"Ayame-san", Ako smiled back, but her worried frown did not go away.

"Looking for Naruto again?", Ayame chuckled.

"No..", Ako sighed. "Not right now, at least. No, have you seen a cat around here? She has a black and white fur, and an unusually long tail."

"Ah, you mean the cat that Naruto keeps as a pet? No, I haven't seen any cats today.. Why? Has she run off again? Do I need to warn the shopkeepers?" Ayame knew full well about the cat's raid at the butcher's shop. And if the rumours were correct, it had not been the only mischief from the cat either..

"I… Eh, I don't think that is needed just yet", Ako smiled sheepishly. "Chie was with me when I went out shopping, but she disappeared on the way back.. I though Naruto might have been here, and she went to him. Well, I'll look around, have a nice day", she waved her friend goodbye.

* * *

She had watched him for a while now, and decided to make her move. Striking down, she had success and he chased her.

Two-legs were so easy to fool..

* * *

A bit annoyed that the cat had vanished, Ako walked around the shopping district. '_Chie knows full well that I did not want her to walk off in this place. Not after the previous incident she caused.. She won't get away with this easily if she pulled another heist again.._', Ako thought, grumbling.

She decided to go to the next street, and if Chie wasn't there either, she wouldn't get anything for dinner either. And depending on what she did this time, she would lose her blanket too.

Walking around the corner, something bashed into her. Hard.

Losing her balance, she fell down to the ground. Whatever it was that had walked into her, it fell on top of her.

* * *

Umino Iruka blushed heavily when he realized what he had done. And how he had landed on top of the Hyuga girl. "I-I-I am sorry", he stuttered.

Chie landed next to the heavily embarrassed humans. "And I now pronounce you to he-two-leg and she-two-leg", she chuckled.

* * *

Still blushing, Ako walked home. Iruka had apologized profusely, but she said he wasn't the one to be blamed. It had been Chie.

Though.. Ako still wondered whether she had to thank the cat, or punish her..

It would depend on the dinner that Iruka had offered her to repay for his mistake, Ako thought.


	16. Duels and dinners

**Duels and dinners**

* * *

Thinking she would have been first to arrive, Hinata was surprised to find out that Naruto was already busy. He, and two clones of his, were practicing the fireball jutsu which had learned recently. Looking at him, with her byakugan activated shortly, she could still see the damage he had sustained to his chakra network. Even though it was very minimally, his tenketsu were still not as they were supposed to be.

Even she could see that, despite not being a great talent when it came to the byakugan's abilities. But Naruto's tenketsu were just too visible.

What bothered her more, though, were the minor signs of exhaustion which she could see. '_How long has Naruto-kun already been training?'_, she wondered.

"Eh.. Ehmm.. Good morning, N-Naruto-kun", she said, raising her voice a bit after starting out with a whisper.

Naruto, fully focussed on his practice, looked around with a surprised expression. "Ah.. Good.. Good morning Hinata-sama", he panted. "Sorry, you startled me a bit", he admitted.

"No honorifics", she sighed. "Please."

"Ah.. Yes, sorry, forgot about that for a moment", Naruto smiled weakly. "But then you drop them too!"

Naruto turned away just in time to not see Hinata's blush. '_How could I.. Address Naruto-kun in such a familiar way? I can't.. But… He asked me._'

"Ugh, this training is boring", Naruto sighed.

"Ehm.. D-don't you think your training is going well?"

"Well? I guess so.. But I'm still so darn slow.. I sleep way too much, can't seem to lose my hunger, and my chakra reserves are horrible..", Naruto frowned. "And everyone keep forbidding me to use too much chakra.."

"W-well your injuries were severe.. A-and you should be careful not to overexert yourself too early, Naruto-ku.. Naruto", Hinata blushed.

This time, Naruto saw her. But completely misunderstood. '_Is she mad because she suspects that I'm already training for three hours now?'_

"Errr I promise to calm down a little, sorry", Naruto apologized. "Though.. It's not like I ever had trouble healing before… Even that one time when that rooftop collapsed when I was a kid, it only took a few days in hospital to recover. But this time, it is just takes so damned long. Quite frustrating.."

"I did not mean to say that.. I didn't think you.. I, ehm..", Hinata was lost for a moment. "Please by careful", she decided to say. "If you train too hard.. You should be careful not to hurt yourself."

"I.. I-I didn't mean to say.. I don't think you are weak, but.. You should not..", Hinata uttered after a moment of silence, distraught by the way Naruto looked at her. And she started fidgeting with her index fingers again. "I saw.. The K-Kyuubi caused you a lot of pain..",

'_She's worried?_', Naruto finally realized. He considered this was why she had kept looking at him, whenever she thought he wasn't watching. And her expression, with a lot more determination than he was used to see on her. '_I thought she was annoyed that I had messed up, back in the ruins.. Or that she was scared because of the Kyuubi. Maybe she knew about the demon, but seeing me almost lose to it would be something else…'_

But that hadn't been it. Hinata had never blamed him, he realized. She was worried. '_But why? Why would she be worried about me?_'

"Why worry?", Naruto wondered.

"Eh?"

"Why.. Why would you be worried about me?"

You're my teammate.. And, well… I..", Hinata whispered. "I.. I don't like it.. I like.. I don't want you to s-suffer so much pain.."

Hinata looked down at the ground, unsure what to say, and severely embarrassed. How would she say what she really thought? How could she tell him how much his wounds had worried her? That it had worried so much because she didn't see him as just her teammate?

Naruto smiled when he saw the girl's uncertainty. Even if he did not understand it, he felt odd that someone would care that much about him. "I'm sorry, Hinata.. I guess I still have to get used to the friendship thing", he scratched the back of his head.

'_Friend? Naruto-kun sees me as his friend?_', Hinata's mind exploded.

Kurenai smiled, looking down on the two clueless children. _'They both be shinobi, and are deadly in their own ways, but they are also just children.. No, not just children.. They both carry burdens and emotional scars that no one of their age should have_', she realized. But she was glad to see the distant and cold Naruto finally melt a little, while the young Hyuga would only gain confidence from these things.

* * *

"Haruki..", Naruto started, with a bit of confusion in his voice. Haruki could see that the boy hesitated to ask his question.

"What is wrong, Naruto?"

"I.. What is friendship?"

"Friendship?", Haruki frowned. "Well that is.. Difficult for me to answer. I'd say it is a strong bond between two people."

"Yeah, I know.. But why?"

"Well, you care about your friends, don't you?"

"I.. Yes", Naruto frowned. "But why would that mean I have a bond with anyone?"

"Well, for starters friends tend to care about each other. The affection, honesty, and compassion they can openly share between each other could be seen as characteristics of friendship. But that also means you have to trust those who you call your friends."

"Or else I would never be completely open and honest", Naruto guessed.

"Indeed! How could someone truly express one's feelings if the other is not trusted? So I would say friendship is a bond of trust between two people. People who accept each other for what they are, both because of their strengths and their weaknesses, accepting the good one can do but also the mistake one can make."

"So if I.."

"You told Hinata-sama about your burden, haven't you?", Haruki smiled. "Would you have done so if you had not trusted her?"

"I.. I just took a gamble", Naruto admitted. "I mean, I hoped she wouldn't turn away from me, but she asked me and I.. I just took the risk."

"So you decided to trust in her judgement?"

"Well.. Yes, you could say that..", Naruto frowned. "Is that.. Friendship?"

"Do you trust me?", Haruki smiled.

"Yes, of course I.."

"You thought I was different from those of your own age?"

Naruto sighed. "No one of my age ever treated me that well, so yes.. Perhaps I.."

"Do you consider Ako to be your friend too? Or Jiraiya-sama?"

Haruki felt a little sad that Naruto had such a large difference in how he looked at those who were of his own age and those who weren't. But he could not blame the boy. The orphanages treated him badly, and he had grown up with the idea that those of his own age were a danger. Only a very few were different to him, such as the Hokage, Jiraiya, and people within the Hyuga such as Haruki himself.

"Don't think too much about what friendship is, Naruto. It is not something you truly can, or should, rationalize.. It is emotion. Accept your emotions, and don't be afraid to show your emotions to those that you can call your friends."

"Perhaps, but.. It is strange that people would willingly be friends with me", Naruto shrugged. "I thought.. Well, because of the demon, that no one would want to treat me as an equal.."

"You are not to blame for what the Kyuubi is, or what it did.. You are Uzumaki Naruto, and despite your burden you are just a regular twelve year old boy", Haruki rummaged through the boy's hair. "Come, let's go see what Ako made for dinner!"

* * *

After several days of training, team 8 noticed that it had made some progress. Hinata, Kiba, and even Akamaru managed to soak or crumble their leaves. Naruto, in turn, had mastered his three new techniques to some extent. Just as his health had recovered quite a bit by now.

The Ichiraku-treatment seemed to work well for the young blond.

Despite the protests of Ako and Haruki against the continuous consumption of ramen..

With four days to go till the chunin exams started, team 8 was facing team 10. Kurenai and Asuma had agreed that some exercise would be good for both of their teams, as well as..

"Ok everyone", Asuma called all the genin which stood at the training ground. "Before we start, some rules. Firstly, no killing or causing serious injuries. Secondly, when you know you have lost, say "I yield", no attacks are allowed after that. Lastly, these are team exercises, so I suggest you both work as a team."

Shikamaru looked bored. "Are you serious about his, sensei?"

"Quite, I cannot have you lose this."

"What did you bet", the lazy genin smirked.

"And what's in it for us?", Ino demanded, still annoyed. Asuma had told her they would be facing Naruto's team, so she had hoped to see Sasuke again. So caught up in her moment, she had forgotten that Naruto had been transferred… Asuma and the others had been wise enough to keep silent, knowing that this way she would at least come along. And be annoyed enough to fight seriously, rather than being worried about her hair or nails.

"If you're going to treat us again, I might have to get serious", Choji was hoping Asuma would pay for another visit to his all-you-can-eat restaurant.

"Fine, fine", Asuma surrendered.

"I wonder who is in charge in your team", Naruto frowned. Hinata giggled and Kiba chuckled.

"That blonde has always been bossy, she's almost as bad as my sis", Kiba added, earning him a glare from the Ino.

"What are you going to win today, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Don't talk like you have already won, you idiot!", Ino snapped. Sadly, the end of her already limited self-control had been reached.

"Something good enough", Kurenai replied vaguely. Hinata could've sworn her sensei blushed slightly.

Asuma grumbled, though the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his actual amusement. "Also, I would like to suggest that both teams cooperate instead of compete during the exams, whenever you get the chance to do so. Fresh genin usually are not nominated to participate, so I suppose you could need all the help you can get. Use this chance to get to know each other a little better."

"Since when did we get officially nominated?", Shikamaru asked, with some surprise mixed in his bored voice.

"Last evening", Kurenai replied, with a look at Asuma. "We were _supposed_ to tell you after this training, as we wanted to see if you were truly ready or not. Participating with the exams is a decision each of you has to make for yourselves though."

Naruto saw Hinata's depressed look. "Well, I doubt any of the three of us would fail something as easy as that", he boasted.

Though Hinata recognized his boast, and the intent behind him, she still doubted her own abilities. Kiba, on the other hand, got lost in his own enthusiasm. "Yeah, they should've given us the jonin exams first, instead of something this easy", he grinned.

Choji looked doubtful, while Shikamaru facepalmed and mumble something which sounded much like "troublesome". Ino dragged her teammates to the area which the jonin had marked as their 'battlefield', foolishly being caught by Naruto's pace.

"I do hope the other two are not as insane as Naruto is?", Asuma whispered to Kurenai, having regretted their bet from the moment he had taught Naruto.

"Naruto is Naruto", Kurenai said as if it explained everything, "But it would be foolish to underestimate Hinata and Kiba. Besides.. When you saw Naruto, he was still weakened", she smiled.

Asuma frowned deeply. "To be honest, I asked my dad about Naruto… He didn't want to tell me too much, but from what he did tell…" He shook his head. "I always thought the boy was cursed, but it seems like it proves to be a blessing of sorts as well."

"It wasn't actually the fox or the seal which gave Naruto so much trouble", Kurenai replied on a serious tone. "It was how people mistreated him because of it."

Asuma nodded, also realizing that they too had part in how his life had gone.

* * *

"Start." Asuma shouted.

The teams had taken position at the opposing corners, in an area large enough to contain at least one soccer field. Naruto looked at Hinata. "So, what will be our plan?"

* * *

Asuma whistled when he saw the number of clones Naruto suddenly deployed. "How much chakra does he have?"

"I honestly don't know. At least at the level of a jonin or kage", Kurenai answered. "The issue is that is not all _his_ chakra. Still, Naruto himself could easily pass for a chunin, or perhaps even a jonin, though that is a bit speculative. Problem is that he doesn't not have jonin-level chakra control.. But I don't have a byakugan, so it's hard to say what his limit are right now."

"And that's only the beginning", a voice spoke. Startling both jonin, they saw Jiraiya and his former sensei near.

"Father?! What are you doing here?" Asuma recovered first.

The Hokage pointed at the field where the clones had now mostly vanished. "This caught my interest. Though I'm partly here due to Jiraiya's nagging…"

Not that Jiraiya heard it, he was completely focussed.

"Smart.." Jiraiya whispered. Hiruzen could only nod in agreement.

* * *

So far, their plan went fine. The kage bunshin had littered the field around team 8 with weight seals, which could trap their opponents when they entered that section. But it was merely a diversion, as the smoke from the dispelled bunshin concealed them from team 10, meanwhile, just as Hinata had suggested, Kiba had created a hole in the ground.

"You two hide, I'll sneak up to them. I'll strike when they get close enough", Naruto whispered.

Kiba nodded, before he and Hinata hid. Meanwhile, three clones used the henge no jutsu to resemble the others, while one stayed in its original form. The clones created a little distance between them and the spot where Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru were hiding.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun", Hinata whispered in the direction Naruto was last seen.

* * *

"What the..", Asuma exclaimed. "Where did they go? Those are bunshin!" He pointed at the fake team 8. Kurenai frowned, and shrugged.

"I think Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru are hiding in that hole.. They even camouflaged it.. Quick thinking. Even though Kiba is still quite rough when it comes to his doton", Kurenai smiled. "But Naruto isn't there.."

"Naruto used his stealth seal", Jiraiya explained. "Something he found in the Uzumaki scrolls I gave him, it was actually the first jutsu he mastered…" He added on a somewhat sad tone, remembering why his pupil once had such a strong desire to not be noticed by others.

"Seems like it is partially derived from genjutsu", Hiruzen remarked. "Unlike the camouflage techniques, or your transparent escape technique."

"Probably. Those Uzumaki created many crazy fuinjutsu that I could only replicate, but never truly understood", Jiraiya admitted. "Naruto once said that the seal basically absorbed everything other people would otherwise notice, but that it doesn't work while people keep concentrating on you while you activate the seal. I bet they can see Naruto, but team 10 is left blind."

Asuma whistled. "Looks like the brat wasn't completely boasting when he said he could give the jonin-exam a try.."

Jiraiya nodded, with a look of pride.

* * *

Shikamaru guessed that the Naruto's that had initially popped up were no ordinary bunshin, and had left something on the ground before they were dispelled.

"Annoying. Seems like Naruto left some traps behind. We should either disarm or avoid them, I'd say the latter is the only choice we have, because we probably do not know how to disarm his traps. Or have the time to figure it out… But that leaves us only one path to go through. Likely another trap", the lazy genin pondered.

"What were those things, Shikamaru?" Choji asked.

"No ordinary bunshin, probably kage bunshin"

"What?" Ino looked annoyed at her teammate. "I've heard about that, that's for jonin! There is no way that idiot could perform such a technique!"

Shikamaru sighed. "I told you Sakura was not crazy when she said Naruto was strong.. And Naruto has never been an idiot, he was merely hiding what he could really do.. But if this part of Sakura said is true, than the other things must be true as well.."

"You mean that invisibility jutsu?", Ino shuddered. "How do you plan fighting that? Damn, if you had not come up with the idea of asking Sakura about what he could exactly do, we would already be screwed.."

"It's a good thing she warned you in the first place, Ino", Choji nodded. "But that wasn't the worst part.."

"You mean what she refused to say?", Shikamaru guessed, having come to the same conclusion as his friend. "Yes.. If she doesn't think such advanced seals are no big deal, then what more is he hiding.."

"But what are we going to do?", Ino asked. "We can't wait here.."

'_No.. We surely cannot stay at this position too long', _Shikamaru pushed his brains to the limit. '_But approaching them is also a bad option.. Troublesome, who thought up this strategy..'_

"We do the usual: Choji distracts, I capture, you force them to surrender. But I'm bothered by the traps Naruto created, we can only go one way, so be on your guard…"

"That's it?", Ino almost shouted. "Couldn't you come up with anything.."

"We will trust Shikamaru", Choji cut her off. "I'm sure you have some kind of plan, don't you?"

Shikamaru smirked, to the relief of his teammates. The three of them started to carefully move forward.

* * *

'_So Sakura told them about my abilities?_', Naruto frowned, having heard the conversation of team 10. '_Figures.. But it was inevitable that I would lose the advantage of surprise, but getting ratted out like this..'_

Naruto grimaced. He shouldn't let himself get distracted by this. He had to fight. Hinata's plan had been relatively simple, but it required good timing and thus paying attention would be crucial.

When team 10 crossed half of the distance to the fake team 8, Naruto decided it was time to start. The chakra consumption of his stealth seal began to annoy him. '_I've still not recovered completely, if only a few kage bunshin, weight seals, and a few minutes in stealth are enough to create such a strain on my chakra reserves..'_

"Still nothing, Shikamaru", Choji grumbled nervously. "What do you think they are up to?"

"With Naruto, you never know", Shikamaru admitted. "The other two shouldn't be too much of a problem, but with Naruto helping them.."

"Right", Ino smirked weakly. "Deadlast Kiba, and uncertain Hinata…"

"You three are wrong about them", Naruto calmly stated, standing in between them. Ino was startled, and all three of them made a crucial mistake: they did not mind the bunshin.

Dropping their disguises, all four shouted: "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Too late, Shikamaru realized they were trapped. "Choji!", he shouted, urging the Akimichi to stop the attack of the bunshin, while he trapped Naruto with his Kagemane no Jutsu.

Naruto frowned when he saw Choji increase his size several times. "Ouch ouch ouch", Choji bounced around when the four fireballs hit him, frantically trying to extinguish the flames that had latched to his sleeve. But while dancing around, he triggered a lot of seals..

"You should not have underestimated us", Shikamaru smirked.

"Who said I did?", Naruto chuckled. "Weight seals: activate", Naruto said, while he broke Shikamaru's restraint and formed the hand seals required. "Don't try to trap someone who has that much more chakra", Naruto added.

Choji fell down, the seal amplifying his already not so light body. Shikamaru spurred open his eyes when the bunshin disappeared – they had exhausted their chakra – and the real members of team 8 charged at them. "Ino! Capture Naruto, I'll hold them off"

"Right!", Ino snapped. " Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

The moment the bunshin executed their attacks, Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata jumped out of their hiding place. Immediately charging at their opponents, Hinata took the centre while Kiba and Akamaru attacked team 10 in their flanks. But Hinata saw that Choji was already incapacitated, while Ino fell down to the ground, screaming.

"Surrender", Hinata said, now standing in front of Shikamaru.

"Tch.. This is too troublesome to do on my own..", Shikamaru grimaced. "We yield.." He turned towards Ino, who was lying on the ground, groaning as if she was in pain. Naruto stood next to her with a concerned frown. "End your jutsus, Naruto", Shikamaru demanded, annoyed that the blond would let his bossy teammate suffer like this. Even though Ino was troublesome in Shikamaru's eyes, she was still his teammate and friend.

"I didn't do this", Naruto frowned. "I don't know what kind of jutsu she tried to use, but it seems like it backfired on her.."

Shikamaru raised his brows. '_Then her mind-body switch failed? But how? Even though it was just for a second, I am sure I held him still the moment she cast the jutsu on him! I never heard of anyone resisting.. What did Sakura say again.. Monster?'_, Shikamaru looked up from his blonde teammate and saw Naruto's pensive look. '_No, he's no monster. But that doesn't mean that he has nothing to hide.. But what?'_

"I'll remove the seals placed on Choji", Naruto said, noticing Shikamaru's look. "Hinata, could you figure out was happened with Ino?"

"Ino-san in fine, physically at least. Her chakra flow seems to be a bit chaotic, but it should be fine..", Hinata said, after looking at the girl with her byakugan.

"Here you go, Choji", Naruto said, after removing the seals that had held the Akimichi down. "So Ino's fine?"

"Seems like it", Shikamaru said, though his scowl had not disappeared. "Clever tactic, using some kind of jutsu to hide yourself and then using yourself _and_ your kage bunshin as distraction for the real attack.."

"Well.. It would've worked better if you hadn't already known about my seal", Naruto shrugged. Though, Shikamaru could hear a hint of agitation in his voice. "I hadn't expected Choji to block that attack though.."

"We hoped you would dodge, so that Naruto's seals would have caught you", Hinata added shyly. "Kiba, Akamaru and I only acted as backup.."

"Well, good thing you are the one in our team who considers backups", Naruto smiled a bit. "If you hadn't come up with this plan I would have likely failed the moment Shikamaru caught me.."

'_And if Ino's jutsu had worked, we could have won.. Making you fight against you own team, Naruto.._', Shikamaru pondered. '_But why didn't my kagemane no jutsu work? Is there truly such a large difference between me and Naruto that the can break it so easily? Is that why Ino failed? Dammit, this duel only created more troublesome questions..'_, Shikamaru sighed. "No, you still would have won, because you can break my hold and Ino failed. Though Kiba and Hinata made sure we had no chance whatsoever.. Troublesome team.."

* * *

"Damn." Asuma exclaimed. "Yeah, you won", he added, seeing Kurenai's smug face.

"The exam will be pretty interesting this time", Hiruzen concluded, before he and Jiraiya vanished.

* * *

"That was shorter than I had expected", Jiraiya said while speeding back to the Hokage's office. "So, why did you really tag along, sensei?"

"I'm old, Jiraiya. As far as I see, there are only three who I think are worthy of succeeding me. You and Hatake Kakashi would refuse to do it, and your former teammate has yet to deal with the demons of her past."

Jiraiya frowned. "Do you want to say to me that you were checking for a successor? Naruto?"

"He is the most promising candidate I've seen after Minato died", Hiruzen agreed. "Though he is still young, and struggles with a burden few could ever understand, he grew in quite an interesting way. I look forward to seeing him grow further."

"Naming him as a successor will cause quite a bit of political trouble."

"I am well aware, but I'm not planning to step down yet. I may be feeling my years, but I am still stronger than any jonin currently in Konoha. Well, except for you, of course."

"There's Gai with his celestial gates", Jiraiya offered.

"He may have the strength, but not the personality needed. Besides, his strength is comparable to that of Kakashi. And though the latter does have a more suitable personality, he still struggles with his own past mistakes and losses. And I cannot say I'm too thrilled with the way he did his job as a sensei for his genin either", Hiruzen sighed. "Of course, Danzo would be happy to take the seat, but that would be a disaster to Konoha. No, either you or Tsunade would be most qualified to succeed me at this moment.. But if I hold out a couple of years.. Five, or perhaps eight years should be enough for Naruto to surpass me."

"But people will still not accept him."

"People will recognize his strength. And when the time comes, they will find that they have no other option than to rely on his strength, and his determination. As happened with the shodai Hokage, people will be attracted to strength, like flies to the light."

"That's rather cynical", Jiraiya countered. "I would prefer it if people accepted him for who he is, rather than accept him because they are forced to rely on his power. I mean, they would just betray him whenever he would show any sign of weakness.."

"Perhaps, perhaps…", Hiruzen admitted. "But it is the way of the world. And what other choice do I have? The only one with a reasonable comparable potential has a highly unstable personality. Nor did he ever show much talent to take a leading role. And my own grandson has yet to prove himself, despite the magnitude of his ambitions. Not to mention that he is even younger than Naruto is.."

* * *

"Sensei, how come you aren't teaching us tricks like theirs?", Shikamaru asked when Asuma and Kurenai joined them. Kurenai inspected Ino and said she would be fine with an hour of rest. She had been a bit worried when the girl had tried to used her technique against Naruto, but it seems that the Kyuubi's presence had made it imposible for her to enter Naruto's mind. Or had it been that mysterious seal on his right hand? '_It could be similar to his resistance to genjutsu', _she considered.

"Well, that's because it is not something I could even teach you", Asuma admitted.

"But all those jutsu's should consume an insane amount of chakra! Why waste so much?", a still groggy Choji sputtered.

"True, but for Naruto, that is no problem", Kurenai explained. "People from his clan were known for their chakra capacity, and not without reason", she added the usual lie they told people whenever Naruto did something impossible again.

"But Naruto is not the only one who has grown, compared to our days at the academy", Choji remarked, having noticed the speed at which Kiba and Hinata had moved.

"Seem like I won our bet", Kurenai smirked at Asuma. "Team 8, let's meet again tomorrow at nine at our usual training ground."

* * *

As team 8 stalked off Kiba smirked. "You know, team 10 was supposed to be one of the strongest genin teams of our class. The children of three clan heads, all in one team.. They were supposed to be a golden combination. And we defeated him without taking a single hit." The overly enthusiastic boy started to laugh, while Akamaru jumped around him with an equal overdose of energy. "Hah, they didn't even see us coming!"

"We did do well, but I think the older teams still have an advantage", Hinata said with a hesitant voice, remembering her cousin. "We still lack experience.. And skill.. And..

"We'll be fine", Naruto smiled at her. "With your amazing eyes, and the unbeatable noses of Kiba and Akamaru, there is no team that could surprise us."

"Especially with these kind of tactics", Kiba laughed. He stopped in his tracks. "Ah crap, I nearly forgot!"

"What's wrong, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, still blushing that her teammates complimented her like that.

"Erm. I eh.. I was supposed to invite you for a dinner at my place. My mum more or less ordered me to drag the two of you along. Tough it is an Inuzuka matter, it's not something as fancy and neat as you two are used to with the Hyuga", Kiba added with a hint of uncertainty.

"We'd love to join you", Hinata replied with a smile.

"Though I hope your stories about you mother are not entirely true", Naruto smirked. "Wouldn't want to join a dinner where I risk myself getting killed."

"No, she only does that to me", Kiba smiled embarrassedly. "And don't tell her any of that!"

"Then I guess we will have to join you", Hinata said with a witty tone, "we should avoid getting our team mate getting killed so shortly before the exam."

* * *

Despite their attempts at using humour to lighten the mood a bit, Kiba kept a little fidgety. Hinata wondered why he was this nervous. She knew the boy was a lot more sensitive than he wanted to appear to be, but she wondered why he would be so uncertain about something like this.

Though she thought she knew part of the answer when they stepped into the Inuzuka's home. A large dog with an eye patch started to growl at Naruto.

"No Kuromaru", a fierce voice warned the large ninken. Naruto realized why Kiba was afraid of his mother. She was.. Wild. Just like Kiba. And she had similar spiky and untamed brown hair. Just like her son, her eyes were not like that of normal humans, as she had slit-like pupils. Similarly, her teeth seemed awfully dog-like. Together with the fang markings on her cheeks, she seemed quite dangerous.

The fact that she held a saucepan in her hands seemed quite.. Unnatural.

"Hey mom", Kiba greeted his mother. "These are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, my team mates."

"Ah, you finally brought them with you?", another female popped up from the kitchen. This younger women seemed much more civilized and calm then her mother and brother.

"She ordered me to do so, Hana", Kiba grumbled.

"Well, we asked you a few times and you didn't listen", the elder women shrugged. "Please take a seat, we're almost done. Oh yeah, I'm the brats mum, just call me Tsume", she added, nearly forgetting etiquette entirely.

As she stumbled back, Kiba's sister added: "And I'm Hana. The black and white one is Kuromaru. Those lazy bastards over there", she pointed at three sleeping grey and white dogs, "are the Haimaru brothers."

Kiba's home turned out to be very cosy, though a little messy. Naruto was not really surprised, Tsume did not really seem the usual type of housewife. In any case, Naruto decided that the place really befitted the Inuzuka: it radiated the warmth and honesty which Kiba showed at times.

"Nice place", Naruto commented. '_Chie would love the place..'_, he thought sarcastically.

"It isn't much but.." Kiba started.

"It's much better than my three room cottage", Naruto grinned. "And my place would be a complete chaos if Ako-san didn't make me clean it up. And if Haruki hadn't scolded me as much as he did." Naruto knew he had no family, but Ako was pretty much like an older sister, while Haruki.. Well, no one came that close to being a father figure to Naruto.

Hinata giggled a bit, the effort Haruki had put into making Naruto a bit 'Hyuga-like' in terms of manners were widely known throughout her clan. And the living proof that even amongst the Hyuga, there existed something called 'a sense of humor'.

"Anyway, the whole Hyuga complex is a bit too clean and tidy to my taste. Much too formal if you ask me", Naruto added.

Kiba grinned a bit. "Well, they do act like they are royalty, don't they?"

"Watch it Kiba, no heresy around our princess", Naruto joked at Hinata, who had no idea how to respond. Luckily, Hana saved her by entering the dinner room.

"Princess?', she asked absently, more focussed on the food she was carrying.

"They weren't talking about you", Tsume smiled. "Those kids are not completely stupid, though it doesn't take much for Kiba to praise them."

"Mum.." Kiba groaned.

"Well, you did pester us a lot about the boy's secret at first, right?", she replied to her son.

"Which of my secrets?", Naruto smirked, causing some eyebrows to rise before they joined him in laughter. "I heard you guys sniffed me out, so it's not fair anyway, how could I have kept that secret from you?"

"We all have our advantages", Hana smirked.

"We do", Tsume agreed as she sat down with the others on the dinner table, "But the drawback is that we tend to trust our senses a little too much. Quite honestly, kid, I thought you were danger. You smelled dangerous. Demonic. But the Hokage trusted you, so I thought it was best to not tell our Kiba a thing, so he could form his own opinion of you."

"Unusual, but it turned out to be the right decision", Hana commented, baiting her little brother. "Quite impressive, for someone with is brain capacity.."

"SHUT IT", Kiba growled.

Naruto ignored his teammate and frowned a bit. "You're saying you don't hate or fear me now, even though you did before?"

"I was there when the Kyuubi hit us", Tsume said, on a very serious tone. "I've never sensed anything that came even close to that. It was like a natural disaster in the flesh… Only a fool would not be afraid. I hated it, but I did not hate you. Though I was afreaid.. I doubted that such a monstrous being could be kept imprisoned in by a mere child."

Hinata spoke up, though uncomfortable about the subject. "The Yondaime created the seal which holds the Kyuubi.. It could not have caused any problem, yet still…"

"And still we could smell its chakra all over Naruto", Tsume noted. "Sure, the Hyuga have shown us that we were wrong. And I really do admit that we were wrong, and even though it's in hindsight I will apologize for it", the woman sighed. "But let us eat, and speak of more cheerful things than our past mistakes. Let us celebrate the upcoming exams!"

The remainder of the dinner was indeed cheerful. With Hana and Tsume telling things about their own exams, and Kiba's boasts on how he would pass the exams on their first try. Hinata, however, noted that Naruto was somewhat reserved. He enjoyed himself, but it seemed like he was wondering how these people could act so casual with him around. Not that she blamed him, this evening was unlike anything they had ever experienced within the Hyuga clan. The warmth and openness were completely new to Naruto, and even herself.

At the end of the evening, Tsume thanked Naruto and Hinata for their visit before the two could even thank her for inviting them. "You two are always welcome here, and I will make one more promise: no longer will the Inuzuka clan belief the false rumours that are spread about you, Naruto. I wish you the best of luck during the exams, and please keep my Kiba save."

Moved, Naruto could only bow, as Hinata thanked her for both of them. As they walked back, Naruto was mostly silent, seemingly confused by Tsume's promise.

"Do you think we can do it, Naruto-kun?", Hinata asked, hesitant to voice her own uncertainty.

"Wha.. What? Oh, the exams? Yeah, why not? I mean, we're all skilled enough, aren't we?", he answered.

"I don't know if I.. If I.."

"You will rock, Hinata-sama", Naruto said, half joking, half serious. "You are smarter than Kiba and I together, your eyesight is probably unmatched by anyone else in the exams, and your skills are much better then you want to believe", he added, fully serious. "You saw how team 10 went down, because of you."

"But that was you, I barely did a.."

"No, Hinata. We did that as a team. You had the idea, right?", Naruto sighed. "Look, please don't compare your strenght with mine, ok? I've got a monster inside me, so how could I be normal anyway? You need to have a little faith in yourself. You know, it is very unlikely that even Kiba could beat you, and quite honestly, I would not know how to handle your juken without the Kyuubi's chakra as backup."

She looked at him, thinking he was just lying in order to encourage her. But she saw none of the signs her mother had taught her to spot lies. He could not be serious, could he? She was the failure of the Hyuga clan, the clan's embarrassment. Still, Naruto's eyes looked at her with trust. But why would he trust a disappointment such as herself? Everyone in her clan knew about her defect. And still..

And still, if Naruto could believe in her, perhaps she could do it. She should at least try. She had to. _'I have always been a disappointment to my clan, but I will not disappoint my team._'

* * *

Back at his cottage, Naruto first tidied his studying room. The clone he had left this morning had ran out of chakra during the day, leaving behind several opened scrolls and books. And Naruto had too much to think about anyway. Why did people slowly change their opinion about him?

"Power..", a dark voice answered his question.

"Shut it", Naruto replied to the fox. But the fox did not listen, but instead drew Naruto into 'his' room.

* * *

"What do you want this time", Naruto said, annoyed to be back in the sewer-like environment.

"Freedom", the fox answered dryly.

Naruto sighed. "You keep watching from the inside, don't you? So you should know I can't give you that one."

"You asked what I wanted, not what you could give me..", the Kyuubi countered. "But don't you think that people are only changing their opinion of you because your strength increases?"

Naruto shrugged. "Only a few do that."

"Now, perhaps, but with that exam of yours, many more people will see your strength. Or should I say: _our_ strength."

"Get to the point."

The fox's eyes narrowed, giving away his annoyance. "Not all will accept you. For the few who will do so, a greater number will fear you. Look at the pink-haired girl. Or that damnable Uchiha. Strength always draws jealousy. People fear the strength of those they cannot control, and their hatred will be born out of that fear."

Naruto frowned. "Is this another of you 'I don't want you getting killed' things?"

"No", the Kyuubi sneered, before sending Naruto away, "I am merely informing you of the inevitable, so that I can enjoy your anger and despair even more. If I tell you now, you will only see your own fate, while there is nothing you can do to avert it.."

* * *

"Damned bastard fox", Naruto growled, back in his study again, but still hearing the demon's chuckle. Though Naruto realized that he could not counter the fox's arguments. "Guess I should hold back whenever possible.. They will not see our power, but _my_ power."

But he could feel the fox's amusement. The creature knew that Naruto would rather be hated by everyone, than risk the lives of his team mates.

Chie blinked as she woke up. Well, woke up.. Naruto could've sworn the cat's laziness increased by the day. One of the disadvantages of how Ako spoiled the creature.

* * *

**A/N**: Not much excitement yet, but we're still building up towards the start of the exam. One more chapter, and then it'll begin! I wonder if Ichiraku will sell their medicinal ramen to the hospital as well.. Ino doesn't need it though, even if she was _not_ on a diet, because she's already recovered. Our friendly neighbourhood fox kicked her out before she even entered. Good thing she didn't have enough power to see anything, or Naruto's secret would be spoiled.. She is a gossip, after all.

On a personal note: seeing the stats of this story make me proud, it has already reached 20.000 views from over 5.000 visitors, and that in a span of two weeks! I had never expected that, so I thank you all.

I hope you all enjoy reading, and please leave a review if you do (or if do not, and have tips).

-Z-

* * *

_**Bonus**_

* * *

"Ugh.. I'm bored…", Konohamaru sighed.

"Ehm.. We could look for Naruto-kun?", Moegi suggested.

"Nehh, boss is busy training."

"I heard the chunin exams are coming soon", Udon spoke up. "You think Naruto-kun will compete too?"

"It would explain why leader has been working so hard..", Moegi frowned. "Though.. Should we make sure he doesn't train too hard? Leader looked awfully pale, the other day.."

"Yes!", Konohamaru decided. "We will find him!"

Chie jumped down, having spied on them long enough. But before she could tell the kids it would be pointless to go looking for Naruto, the three jumped forward screaming "THE BOSS'S CAT!"

Naturally, the cat decided to run.

Even she had respect for the amount of mischief committed by the Konohamaru squad..

* * *

Finally having been successful in shaking of her annoying guard, Hanabi walked alone through the streets.

Other people could be so bothersome. But they were just inferior to her, so why did she have to bother with them? She had already proven her worth, being superior even to her sister, someone of her own flesh and blood. Her father saw her talent, her value to the clan. But as much as he focussed on her, so her mother focussed on her failure of a sister.

But at least now she was free from all the meddling servants and guards.

And as if she had heard her silent wish, the long-tailed furry cat appeared in front of her again.

"Kitty!", Hanabi exclaimed happily, allowing herself to forget proper behaviour for a moment. But her believe that she could do that because she was alone was proven wrong when a boy crashed around the corner, into the street where Hanabi and the cat were.

"Stop that caahaaat", the boy screamed, regaining his footing.

But Hanabi did no such thing.

She smacked the boy in his face, halting him, if only from the sheer surprise that someone had dared to hit him.

Moegi and the slower Udon had finally caught up too, and now saw Hanabi standing in front of Konohamaru, while the cat sat behind Hanabi.

"What did you do that for?", Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Why don't you leave that poor cat alone", Hanabi frowned.

"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?!"

"Ugh.. Get lost, peasant boy", Hanabi shrugged, her disdain obvious on her cold face.

Though amused, Chie decided to end this little squabble before it really started. "There's no need to fight over me, you can both pet me if you want to", she chuckled.

Four pair of baffled eyes looked at her.

"What?", Chie wondered. "Never seen a cat talk? Errm.. Why are you all ganging up on me?"

Chie looked a bit worried when the four kids surrounded the cat.

"Alright", she sighed. "Time to bail.. Again."

* * *

The surprised villagers from Konohagakure could, that day, wonder why four children were chasing one cat. Moreover, why that group consisted of both the unruly grandson of the Hokage and the cold daughter of the head of the Hyuga clan.

Needless to say, Chie was quite amused by playing with the kids like this..

Hanabi and Konohamaru both swore to one day catch the talking cat, before the other could. Konohamaru realized that this world contained a lot of rivals..


	17. A gift and a meeting

**A gift and a meeting**

* * *

Naruto woke up. "Whah?"

He heard knocking again. Grumbling, he stepped out of his bed. "_Half past seven? Too early for Ako.._" he realized, his mind still half asleep.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming", he uttered when he heard knocking again. Putting on his pants, he opened the door. "Hitomi-sama?", Naruto croaked in surprise.

"Yes, Naruto", the wife of the head of the Hyuga clan answered, smiling at the sleepy genin's confusion. "Can I come in?"

"Ah.. Yes, of course..", Naruto stammered. '_Why would she visit me the day before the exams? And at this hour?'_

"Thank you", Hitomi said as she entered the boy's cottage. He quickly put on his a shirt, as she looked around in his room. It surprised her how much scrolls and books he had crammed in the three rooms. The largest room contained the living area and kitchen, while the smaller room where Naruto was dressing himself was his bedroom. The third room was a storage room which had transformed into a study, though a lot of his study materials could also be seen in the living room. By the looks of it, Naruto barely understood how extremely valuable these scolls were.

Though.. Now she looked better she was seals everywhere. This place was a lot better guarded than she had initially thought.

"Seems you take your studies quite seriously", she remarked, as the now fully dressed Naruto entered the room.

"Yeah, it usually takes me quite some time to understand each scroll or book", he admitted somewhat embarrassed. "Even when using kage bunshin, studying my clan's fuinjutsu without someone who can teach me is a bit.. Difficult at times."

"Perhaps you could ask Jiraiya-sama if he wants to take you as his official apprentice?"

"Uhmm. Well, with him continuously being on those long missions of his, I don't think that is feasible."

She chuckled, realizing the boy was much smarter then he usually wanted to reveal. "Perhaps you could ask him if you made it to chunin?"

Naruto blinked. "Perhaps, but even if that happens, the old man would still have to give me permission to leave the village.."

"Perhaps", she admitted, "But if you perform well during the exams, I am sure you will draw quite some attention from both the Konoha and the foreign shinobi. Though you should not let that get to you."

She frowned a bit, and the slight hesitation made Naruto realize how much Hinata was starting to look like her mother. They shared the same dark blue hair and fair skin, but their faces also were very similar. This was something which Naruto did not notice till now, as the expressions of the confident and calm mother and her hesitant and shy daughter usually were very different. But now that Hinata seemed to open up a little…

"I hope you will do your absolute best", she said. "And I would ask you to protect my daughter if I had not known you will do so even if I did not ask it." She smiled a bit. "The Hyuga clan has yet to realize the things you have done for us, I'm sure of that. But on my own account, I wish to offer you this, both as a token of gratitude, and to wish you success on your exams."

She handed Naruto a package, and urged him to open it. With his eyes wide from surprise, Naruto unpacked a new set of clothes.

"I thought the new colour fitted you very well", Hitomi added. "Though the shrunken clothes did not suit you as well as it should. Also, I studied your clan's history a bit, and altered the Toad Hermit's style a little with elements of your own clan's style."

"This is amazing", Naruto said softly, as he held up the green shirt. The new set included a mesh armour, over which he would wear a dark green shirt. This shirt was much like Jiraiya's, as it resembled a short shirt kimono, but the sleeves were wide and long, covering his hands. Naruto knew this was something which the Uzumaki clan preferred, and he figured it would be perfect to hide scrolls or smaller weapons underneath. Or to mask the execution of hand seals.

"I heard from Haruki-san that you used fire-proof materials previously, so I had ordered to make the entire set of that instead of regular materials", she added. She smiled as he found out that the symbol of Uzushiogakure was emblazoned on the shoulders. He looked in the package and found pants of the same materials and colour, as well as a black belt, designed to hold scrolls.

"I also had some hand guards made for you, which should be a better fit. It is made of the same materials as the shoulder guards", she said when he uncovered the last items from the package.

With a lump in his throat, Naruto bowed. "Thank you, Hitomi-sama. This is more then I.."

"If I had to give you what I think you deserved", Hitomi cut him off, "our clan would face bankruptcy." She chuckled. "Please do not think that I am completely ignorant of the things you did."

Naruto blushed a bit, but did nothing to either agree with, or counter, the statement. He knew she could easily see through lies anyway. "I only ever did what I thought was right", he decided to say.

"And so did I. At the very least, if you are going to impress the world, you could do it well dressed", she smiled. She saw he realized what she hinted at, even though he did not tell why he did it. '_Perhaps he does not want it out in the open yet'_, she mused, '_A majority of the people hated him, and even within our clan there are enough who doubt him. Or despise him. Perhaps his decision to keep this covert was wise, but he can't maintain this much longer..'_

"I guess I'm obliged to give a show now", he smiled at her, though he was unable to hide the happiness and gratefulness he felt. "I probably owe the village a scare or two anyway", he added mischievously.

"Impress the world, Naruto, but don't give them more reason to fear you then they already have", she warned him gently, before she left to eat breakfast with her family.

* * *

Elated by the gift he had received, he decided to eat at Ichiraku's again. Though he had gone there several times this week, the delicious ramen was a feast to him every time. And this was certainly a moment worth to celebrate. Though, Ako and Haruki scolded him because he had to eat more healthy food, threatning him that he would not grow properly otherwise. This time, however, he could not eat without being disturbed. A blonde haired woman ordered something to eat, and sat down next to him, continuous looking at him.

"What?", Naruto said after a while, getting a bit annoyed by the woman's gaze. He had such a good mood, and did not want it to be spoiled by another idiotic civilian.

"It is always odd to look from the outside."

"What?", Naruto replied pointedly. He looked a bit better at her, the woman had long, straight, blonde hair, and dark eyes. The woman wore black pants, a black and purple blouse, and purple fingerless gloves, with a chain of blue beads around her left hand. But that was not just it. She looked different, but more importantly, she _felt_ different from any other shinobi he had seen. "Who are you, why is someone from Kumo bothering me", he added, recognizing her forehead protector.

The woman chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're not scared."

"You're strong, but not like it should be fearsome", he frowned.

"Perhaps", she added knowingly. "But people usually fear me, like they fear you, Uzumaki Naruto."

"I asked you who you are", Naruto repeated, now a bit on his guard.

"Relax, no need to generate such chakra", she smiled. "I was merely interested in you, and Jiraiya-sama told me where I had the biggest chance of finding you. Though, I mostly followed your scent."

"What does the old man have to do with someone from Kumo?"

"He acted as both my guide and my guard. He led my team and me to Konohagakure. I currently function as a jonin-sensei for my team of chunin-candidates. Though, the real reason for me personally to come here is you, mister nine."

Naruto stood up. "If you're finished playing with me, I'll take my leave", he said darkly.

"I had imagined you would be more interested when you met someone like yourself", she frowned. "I am indeed a shinobi from Kumogakure, but like you, I have little in common with ordinary shinobi. My name is Nii Yugito, and I hold the Nibi, the two-tailed bijuu, inside me."

Naruto turned back. "The Kyuubi already told me so, but he also seems to think you are quite amusing."

"He talks to you even though he is sealed?", she asked, surprised. "How clearly can you hear him?"

"Not really a subtle spy, are you?"

"As I said, I care little about the borders set by shinobi", Yugito started to get a little annoyed by the boy's impudence. Didn't he realize how privileged he was, meeting her? "Kumogakure may be my home, but I am as much a prisoner of that place as you are here."

"And you want to know how strong the Kyuubi's influence over me is, while you can hardly control your own hatred?", Naruto smirked.

Yugito's eyes narrowed, and her nails seemed to extend. "What do you know about.."

"I am the Kyuubi's jinchuriki, just as you said. I would have expected you to be smart enough to not make such obvious lies", Naruto said sharply. "Besides, you refer to yourself as a jinchuriki, the name the _humans_ give us to indicate we are their tools. Even though many of them may be fools, I do not think myself that much different from them. And I certainly refuse to be called a tool.."

"What do you know about such things, child", she hissed. He shrugged at her, and walked away.

"Apologies about this, Teuchi-san", Naruto said, leaving a little extra money on his way out.

* * *

"He is different from what you expected, I presume?", Jiraiya said, stepping away from the cover from which he had followed the conversation.

"Apparently", she growled. "The fool is barely in control, he should at least listen to his elders. He is as foolish as Bee. No, even worse!"

"Now, now", Jiraiya reassured her. "He knows his situation pretty well, and though he still has a long way to go, he is already pretty remarkable for someone of his age."

"Don't let your pride blind you, Jiraiya-sama", the jinchuriki sighed. "Just like the eight tails caused more trouble than the two tails, so will the nine tails strength be beyond that of the eight tails. And unlike most of the bijuu, the Kyuubi was cunning enough to retain his freedom for centuries, while his brothers and sisters were trapped one after another."

Jiraiya frowned. "So that is the reason you were not surprised he wasn't impressed by your power, even though you are 'in control' as a jinchuriki?"

"His power will surpass mine, just as the Kyuubi's surpasses that of the Nibi." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Just from speaking to him a little, it is clear to me his power vastly exceeds my own when I was his age. But still that means little, because his problems to gain control will also be far greater than the ones I had to face."

Jiraiya knew a few thinks about the horrible training the woman had endured to become this way. "Are things really this bad?"

"I honestly don't know", she spoke softly, "My process was partly an experiment, but my solution was quite different from that of the Hachibi's jinchuriki."

"After the first two parts of the exam are done", Jiraiya asked on a serious tone, "Would you be willing to take a look at the boy?"

She frowned. "It would be against the orders from Raikage-sama to reveal to much about myself, but I will do my duty as a jinchuriki, though I think you should make sure he listens to me, first."

"Thank you, Yugito. And I will make sure of it", Jiraiya laughed. "But don't be too surprised, the brat has lived his entire life without fully trusting anyone, there are probably only a handful of people he partially trusts, so cut him some slack."

"I know what it is to be seen as a monster", Yugito answered on a bitter tone. "Though, the fact that he still sees himself as a shinobi despite his acceptance that he is not human surprises me. Perhaps the support he got from you and the hokage helped him to retain some of his humanity.."

* * *

Naruto frowned. Why would a foreign jinchuriki visit him? Naruto shrugged, and noticed that his hand guards each had a different symbol, on his right hand the symbol of Uzushiogakure, his left hand the symbol of Konohagakure. '_Who cares about villages, titles, or other boundaries? The only thing that would matter is friendship'_, he thought. Jinchuriki or not, the woman was not his friend, she was nothing like him. So why would he care about her?

'_True strength is enduring everything on your own, not needing any help, not bending your will because of others. Like Hitomi-sama said, I will show the world my strength, than these idiots will no longer underestimate me._'

Not that Naruto's musings lasted long. "Ooooyyyaaabbbuuuunnn!", was the last Naruto heard before being tackled by an incoming Konohamaru.

After their babysitting mission, Konohamaru had taken a bad habit of stalking Naruto whenever he could. This meant that Konohamaru once again had managed to escape Ebisu, who would probably be panicking again. Apparantly, the teacher was not a fan of being lectured himself…

"Yo, what are you doing niichan?"

Naruto groaned when he stood up again, whisking the dusk from his brand new clothes. "Having a day off, Konohamaru."

"Are you going to take the chunin-exams tomorrow, boss?", a small orange-haired girl asked.

'_Great, the entire Konohamaru squad has tracked me down'_, Naruto realized, as he saw Moegi and Udon. "Yeah, my team will participate as well. I'm sorry, but I can't play today, still got some things I need to buy, and I have to meet my team soon", Naruto said, before vanishing with a puff of smoke and leaves.

Naruto knew enough that they would not stop following him, so he chose to shake them off. Though not the nicest way, the shunshin no jutsu certainly was the most effective. Naruto smiled to himself, realizing that not all the Konoha shinobi saw him as a monster.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh dear, and now I start deviating from the manga.. But to quote the joker:_ it's all part of the plan_. Darker Naruto means the Kyuubi has more influence, which in turn creates the need to guide Naruto a bit more. Though.. It might not be as easy as Yugito would think…

Next chapter: the first stage of the exam!

-Z-

* * *

_**Another bonus, as Anko's presence was requested:**_

Dango

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt old. His head ached from an entire hour of listening to the rants of several shopkeepers and other civilians. And now he would get to speak the one who caused it all.

"Come in, Anko", he sighed when he heard her knocking on the door of his office.

"Ah.. Ehm.. Good afternoon, Hokage-sama, I ehh..", Anko started, clearly being very uncomfortable under the older man's glare.

"Sit down..", Hiruzen said, cutting her off.

"For the past hour I had to listen to reports from various civilians."

"Ah, yes, you see Hokage-sama, I was.."

"Silent", he cut her off, looking strictly. "I would like to get an explanation for the destruction of two shop buildings, three civilian houses, several dozen meters of street, and the fence around of Inuzuka kennels..", Hiruzen sighed. "They still have not located all of the dogs that had ran off.."

"Well, I was chasing.."

"There are also several rooftops that need mending now, and not mentioning the property you destroyed further, I would also like to know why there were nearly a dozen people wounded during your little rampage..", Hiruze continued, with a harsh look.

"Not to mention that you impaled several animals with poisoned kunai..", Hiruzen raised his voice. "Is this the behaviour expected from a jonin of Konoha?"

"Well, I was chasing a cat, sir", Anko said, blushing with embarrassment.

"A cat..", Hiruzen hissed. "All that.. You did all that because you chased one cat? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

"It stole my dango", Anko added, as if that explained everything. Though she quickly realized she should not have said that, as she saw the older man redden and several veins on his forehead bulged out.

"Give me one reason why I should not demote you to a genin", he managed not to shout. "Give me one reason.."

"Ermm… Well, this cat snatched away my dango.. And when I tried to catch the damned creature, I kept eluding me.."

"You mean to say that one single can could escape a seasoned jonin?", Hiruzen facepalmed. "That is it.. You will only be doing D-rank missions the next three months! And you _will_ repay ever bit of damage you have done. Now get out of my office."

"Hokage-sama, you cannot be…", Anko tried to protest, paling at the idea of doing such missions. She would be the laughing stock of whole Konoha. And Hiruzen knew.

"You are lucky I did not take you off the exams, now GET OUT", Sarutobi Hiruzen, even though it happened only very rarely, lost his patience.

* * *

"Chie, what have you done? How did you get that dirty?", Ako exclaimed upon seeing the mud-covered cat.

"It was worth it", the cat chuckled.

* * *

Animal abuse

*ding dong*

"Hello?"

"Good Moring mister Uchiha, I am terribly sorry to bother you, but I am from the Konoha Animal Control, and I need to check up on an anonymous tip."

"Tip? What about?", Sasuke frowned, surprised by the visit of this uniformed man.

"Well, apparently you have been keeping a large number of illegal birds in your apartment, which is against the law. Let's see..", the man rummaged through his report. "Ducks. Ducks need to be kept in a garden, not inside an apartment, mister Uchiha."

"Ducks.. DUCKS?", Sasuke snapped. "That cat again.. I.. I will kill that bloody cat!"

"Calm down sir", the officer warned, taking a step back. The Uchiha's killing intent being obvious.

"Calm down? I WILL KILL THAT CAT!", Sasuke roared, activating his sharingan.

The man shrugged. "Suit it yourself, you are arrested for attempted animal abused", the man replied, taking out a can from his belt.

"Arrest me? Do you think you can stop an Uchiha?", Sasuke now totally lost it.

* * *

The Hokage frowned when he read the report. Uchiha Sasuke would be prosecuted for attempted animal abuse. And got arrested by a mere agent from the animal control department.. Who had used pepper spray against the sharingan...

"I'm getting too old for this job..", Hiruzen sighed.


	18. The first stage

**First stage**

* * *

"I'm glad you all decided to come", Kurenai smiled proudly at her genin. "Now I will explain how you will start the exam, now that you are all here. What?", she added when Kiba gave Naruto a few coins.

The Inuzuka shrugged. "Hinata said this was a team thing, so if one of us didn't show up we would fail. So Naruto and I made a bet, if she was right or not."

"You.. Make bets like these?", Kurenai blinked in surprise.

"You gave us the good example, sensei", Kiba shrugged.

"But it was foolish to think you know better than Hinata", Naruto smirked at the Inuzuka, not noticing the blush on Hinata's cheeks.

"You brought the forms I gave you yesterday?", Kurenai sighed, trying to hide her amusement. "But I must warn you not to be too carefree. These exams are a serious matter, where people will die if not paying attention properly." This caught their attention. Well, Kiba's and Hinata's. Naruto did not seem to care at all.

Kurenai frowned. "I don't want to see any of you end up death because you underestimated the test, or the competition. Remember to back up your friends from Konoha, but be on your guard at all times. Do not trust anyone besides yourselves."

"The first test will be taken in room 301 inside this building", she continued in her lecture mode. "Expect obstacles. Now hurry up and enter when it is your turn.. And good luck."

"Thanks sensei", Kiba replied.

"And don't worry about us", Naruto added nonchalantly, though she saw in his eyes that he was completely serious. '_Must be an act to boost the team's morale a bit_', she realized. She noticed that Hinata needed it, the girl just bowed to her, too nervous to speak. Kurenai wondered how many doubts the girl would have had before she had arrived here. After all, she was unusually late. Normally, Hinata was the most punctual of the three.

'_Good luck… I know you three have the strength and skill to make it._'

As she wanted to go to the meeting room where all the jonin-senseis were supposed to gather during the first test, she was halted. "Don't worry too much, Kurenai", Jiraiya spoke.

"How could I not worry?"

"I know", he smiled, though with a hint of sadness due to the memory. "I've sent more than one team into their exams.. But this team is strong. Even if they face another Jinchuriki, they would win."

"As long as the rules are not bent or accidently forgotten because of Naruto..", she answered darkly.

"Even if it was my old sensei, anyone who tries that one will wish they were never born", the older man said in a tone which sent the chills down through her spine.

* * *

Finally it was their turn to enter the building, Kiba alerted them the moment they stepped in. Hinata activated her byakugan. "Genjutsu", she hissed.

"Anyone watching us?", Naruto replied on a casual tone.

"Yes. Two men, chunin level chakra levels, probably hiding their identities using henge no jutsu", she whispered back.

"Only chunin?", Kiba responded with disappointment.

"Yeah, why did we even bother to enter?", Naruto smirked. "Those fools can't beat Hinata's eyes, or your nose. Or my jutsu", he concluded with a smile.

The two chunin watched in confusion when the three genin disappeared after one of them had dropped a smoke bomb. "What the.. Shunshin no jutsu? Where did they go?"

"No", the other replied. "It's impossible for genin to travel both fast enough, and far enough, to avoid being detected.."

"But look at the screen", the first one pointed, "Look. They just entered the room."

"How in the world…"

* * *

"Great idea, Hinata!", Naruto smirked, looking at his teammates. "Of course I could not use the stealth seal on you, but you can activate them for yourselves. Stupid I didn't think of it earlier!"

Kiba panted, and looked annoyed. "Stupid… You are.. An idiot", he stammered. "Damn, if you hadn't.. Used that shunshin no jutsu.. That chakra.. Drain was crazy!"

"It only took half a minute", Naruto frowned, not understanding why his teammates were so exhausted. '_If it had been a few minutes, ok.. And they didn't even have to walk themselves_', Naruto pondered. Luckily, Kiba had a few food pills with him, so the others rejuvenated quickly.

"H-How long can you keep this jutsu active, Naruto-kun?", Hinata questioned, after she had regained her breath.

"Depends.. It drains more chakra when more people are around, and if they are really looking for you, the chakra consumption is quite high", Naruto shrugged. "But a few minutes, at the worst circumstances, is doable. I think my record is about twenty five minutes", he scratched his chin, thinking. "But that was during night.."

'_So long?_', Hinata almost wanted to say out loud. "Does it take the.. It's chakra to do that?"

"Why?", Naruto replies, honestly surprised.

'_As I thought..'_, Hinata realized. '_Naruto-kun doesn't need the Kyuubi, he is already far stronger than anyone would suspect..' _

Kiba shook his head, thinking that he should stop feeling surprised whenever Naruto did these kinds of things. He looked into the room they were supposed to enter.

"So, these guys are our competition? Doesn't look like much. Damn, look at how old they are.. They must really suck if they still need to do the exam", Kiba said loudly, drawing more than a few angry looks.

"You should not draw too much attention to us, Kiba-kun", Hinata whispered, worriedly.

"Don't waste your breath on that troublesome fool", Shikamaru remarked, walking towards them. He and Choji greeted them friendly, but Ino did not seem to have forgotten her defeat. "Come along, I saw the others over there", Shikamaru added.

"Are you alright, Ino-san?", Hinata asked, seeing the blonde's look.

"Yeah.. Yeah I recovered quickly", Ino said, with an odd tremor in her voice. She did not know how, but somehow, something had pushed her out of Naruto's mind when she had tried to use her jutsu. Especially the response of her father made her worry. Enough to agree and promise that she would never attempt to use her jutsu on Naruto again.

"So you guys entered too?", Sakura asked when the two teams joined hers. Kiba and Hinata walked towards the ever quiet Shino. Sasuke stood a bit apart from the others, seemingly annoyed and a bit impetuous. Naruto expected that the last Uchiha was dying to show off his skills. '_How much would Sasuke have grown? Fighting him could be amusing_', Naruto pondered. '_I still owe him for attacking me.._'

"Yeah, Kurenai-sensei allowed us", he said indifferently. Naruto could still see the fear she was trying to hide. Not that he really blamed her, after what he had done in the country of waves, fear was only a logical emotion for her to feel, as she did not know the truth about Naruto. Naruto had once hoped Sakura would behave differently because she too knew what it was to be singled out because of something she could not help. Not that she had allowed to let that hope exist very long. Though, it had surprised him a bit that she would take the initiative to talk to him..

* * *

Kurenai joined Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma in their conversation about their genin. "Excuse me", a blonde kunoichi from Kumo tapped on her shoulder. "Could I talk with you for a moment?"

"Of course", Kurenai frowned. "Is there something wrong?", she asked when they stood at some distance from the other jonin.

"You are the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto?", the woman asked, continuing when she saw Kurenai's nod. "My name is Nii Yugito, and you could say I am… Related to Naruto, in some way."

"What?", Kurenai frowned.

"I am two where he is nine", Yugito added softly, cautious not to be heard by the others. "Do not worry, I am here under Jiraiya-sama's protection. But I do need to warn you, as Naruto is not the only one who joined the exams."

* * *

"Yo, Neji!", Naruto exclaimed. "And Lee as well!", he added, "Darn, now this exam has become a lot more difficult.. Can't we make a deal?"

"No way", Lee smiled back, "It's been too long since we had our last youthful duel, and we will face each other again." Neji grimaced slightly because of his overly enthusiastic team mate's behaviour.

Their team mate, Tenten, was amused by their carefree behaviour. "I know you, my dad made that set of armour and clothing for the Hyuga clan", she said.

"He did? Tell him he did a great..", before Naruto could finish his response, someone walked towards him. Naruto noticed how Sasuke and Neji tensed.

"You..", a cold voice permanently ended the cheerful atmosphere. A murderous intent filled the room, and Naruto turned around to look at its source. A relatively short boy of Naruto's own age was looking at him, he had auburn coloured hair, and a large gourd on his back.

Naruto smirked when he saw the kanji for the word 'love' on his forehead, something which was completely out of place next to the emotionless eyes. But it was not the lack of distinctive pupils or eyebrows, or the exhausted look on his face, which made Naruto shudder a bit. It was the cold fury he saw behind the boy's mask. The apparent lack of sanity. Somewhat shocked, Naruto realized what the boy was.

"Uzumaki Naruto", Naruto answered, keeping his smirk intact, though his eyes were fully serious.

All the talk in the room silenced when Naruto answered the boy's intent with equal power. Most of the nearby genin stepped back, with terrified looks on their faces. '_Is this what it feel like when _I_ am angry? No wonder Sakura was scared_', Naruto realized.

"Sabaku no Gaara", the boy replied with a voice devoid of any emotion. "I did not know there would be another like me."

"Don't bother to compare yourself to me", Naruto felt his whiskers thicken, and expected that the colour of his eyes had changed a bit as well. "It's not like we are anything alike."

Two terrified shinobi who seemed to be Gaara's teammates tried to persuade Gaara to walk away from this, but Gaara did not even seem to notice them. He was far to obsessed with this unexpect threat he now faced.

Meanwhile, Naruto wondered what agitated the Kyuubi so much. The demon had been amused when they had met the host of the two-tails, as if he viewed the other demon like a younger and weaker sibling, but this was different. The Kyuubi despised the demon that had been sealed inside Gaara.

"Your blood would be a worthy offering", Gaara said, while his face lost all pretence of sanity. "And it would certainly prove my existence."

"Gaara, please don't", his older female teammate tried to warn him. "Please stop this.."

"Back down you two", a heavy voice shouted through the room. A jonin had entered the room, a large and imposing man, covered with scars. "If you two start fighting, I'll kick the both out of Konoha myself."

Gaara glared back at the man. "Fine", though his tone spoke of the contrary. "We will meet soon", Gaara added with a final look at Naruto, before he took his place.

As Gaara walked away, Naruto turned towards his formed classmates. He frowned a bit when he noticed that all of them, except for Hinata and Kiba, had backed away. "Whatever you guys do, avoid that guy", Naruto said to them on a serious tone. "A duel with this Gaara will only have one possible end: slaughter. Avoid him, or run away as hard as you can if you cannot avoid him."

Flanked by Hinata and Kiba, Naruto walked towards the list to find out which seats they had to take.

"Monsters", Sakura said softly, her face still pale because of her fear. "They both are.. Must be monsters.. And Kiba and Hinata didn't even flinch.."

Shikamaru frowned as he considered what she said. He realized he had to talk to his dad, or Asuma, soon. Was this why Naruto had broken through his restraints so easily? If so, then these were indeed monsters, but not as unpretentious as Sakura would think. And while Naruto seemed to have some humanity, the other did not. "Neji-san, what did you see?", he asked.

"Naruto is right", Neji said on an even tone, trying to not reveal how unsettled he was. "Facing Gaara would be suicide. They both possess chakra levels beyond anyone else in this room. Far beyond any of us.. Lee, Tenten, let's follow them."

Shikamaru nodded towards Choji and Ino, and followed Neji's example. Sakura wanted to move on as well, but noticed that Shino looked at Sasuke. "What's.." she started, before she looked at Sasuke's face.

Even though it was only a fraction of a second before he regained his composure, Sakura saw the jealous look at Sasuke's face. She knew how obsessed her teammate was when it came to power, so witnessing the display of Gaara and Naruto must have been a slap in his face.

Sakura sighed, realizing that this exam might become a bit problematic if it continued like this. "Let's find our seats", she said with a faked optimism. Her inner persona shouted that she should jump in to comfort Sasuke, but that she decided that this would not be the best course of action.

* * *

To their disappointment, the man called Morino Ibiki led the first part of their exam.

It was especially disappointing because if was a written exam, consisting of ten questions, of which the last one would be revealed ten minutes before the end of the one-hour exam. With the rules he set out, it was pretty obvious that they wanted to see how the genin could cheat the exam without being noticed. And though Naruto could answer two questions, the remaining seven were beyond his knowledge and abilities.

Naruto was a bit annoyed that there were so many observers, which made it impossible for him to use the stealth seal, as there would always be one who would notice him. Hinata had it easy, as her byakugan could simply saw everything, making cheating in this exam almost embarrassingly easy to her. Naruto saw that Kiba, who was seated a few spots in front of him, also smiled with confidence. The observers didn't pay any attention to Akamaru, who was sitting on Kiba's head. Naruto figured that the dog somehow peeked at the exam sheets of others and gave Kiba the information he needed.

'_Dammit, what now'_, Naruto cursed at himself. He had left two bunshin outside the room, but though they had stealth seals on them, Naruto did not know how to contact them without being noticed himself. Usually, Naruto communicated with his bunshin by creating another, which spread the new information once it 'popped'.

* * *

Because all the stories had made her curious, Chie had been watching from the other side of the window how Naruto would do this exam of his. And while she conveniently sat there, she thought he was rather foolish.

'_And now he panics because he does not know every answer.. Foolish two-leg, he only needs to take care he doesn't drop to zero points..', _she thought, annoyed by the boy's short-sightedness. He always lost track of the details while busy..

She sighed. '_But if I do nothing, he'll start doing something foolish and he'll end up failing the exam.. Let's see, I guess I could track down those clones he made earlier. If they were in the room itself, he would have already finished writing down the answers… So they are probably right outside', _she guessed.

* * *

'_Dammit, I got to try _something'. Naruto cursed internally, as he realized he should have anticipated something like this, keeping those bunshin outside the room had been quite a mistake. One of the observers looked at him suspiciously, but could not spot anything suspicious. '_Just another panicked brat', _the man smiled to himself.

A moment later, one of the observers stood up to close the door, which had suddenly opened up slightly. The observer looked in the hallway, and as he wanted to close the door when he saw nothing, a cat slipped through his legs. When he turned around, he noticed the black and white creature sitting on his chair. The creature seemed rather curious when the man tried to pick it up, but refused to cooperate.

The man considered that it wasn't worth making a fuss about it. The creature did not help any of the genin, and attempts to remove it would only distract the kids. The man shrugged, and closed the door, resuming his watch. Four minutes after that, Naruto started writing down the answers. And thanked himself for putting so much extra chakra in the bunshin, as a contingency. That was why it could last this long, despite the number of observers. Containing a demon was useful, at times.

The observers had never spotted the bunshin which entered the moment Chie caused a distraction, though Naruto nearly facepalmed when his bunshin had kicked Gaara's chair before it dispelled itself. Though, it seemed like one of the observers made a note when a little amount of smoke lingered near Gaara. The remaining time seemed like an eternity to Naruto, especially because more and more genin were removed from the room. Luckily, neither Hinata nor Kiba got caught. Not that Naruto expected such. When it came to these things, his teammates were a lot better than he ever would be. Well, if he did not have the stealth seal, that was.

To his big surprise, Naruto spotted a familiar figure a few seats away from him. _'What the hell is Haku doing here?'_, Naruto asked himself, recognizing the clothes. Haku had been a deserter from Kirigakure, and to Naruto's knowledge, missing-nins were not allowed in the exams.

"Alright", Ibiki spoke up after looking at the clock. "And now we will begin the tenth question."

The serious looks on the scarred man's face unsettled most of the genin, especially those who were already panicked due to the exam. "This question will have some added rules." This certainly caused some surprise with the remaining genin.

"I'll explain. These are the rules.. Of desperation", Ibiki spoke darkly, while he started to pace around. Those who were seated in the front looked more and more uncomfortable. "Each of you must decide for yourself whether or not you will take this last question or not."

"Choose?!", a female voice spoke up, from somewhere behind Naruto. "What happens if we choose not to take it?"

A devilish grin appeared on Ibiki's face. "If you don't want it, your points will be reduced to zero. You and your team fail!"

"Silence", he said loudly, after several genin started to speak. "The other rule.."

Completely silence returned in the room. "If you choose to take the it, and fail to answer the question, you will lose the right to take the chunin exams."

"What?!" several voices protested.

"Forever", Ibiki added ominously.

Naruto smiled when Kiba started to protest, aided by a ferociously barking Akamaru. "What kind of stupid rule is that?! There are enough guys around who took the exam before!"

Ibiki laughed at him. "Those guys had the luck they did not meet me.. This year I set the rules. Of course, if you don't have the guts, you can always try next year."

When the silence set in after Ibiki's explanation, a lot of genin showed outright panic. It wasn't long before one stood up, raising his hand and shouting he gave up.

"50, 130, and 111. You fail", one of the observers noted.

This one resignation caused a new wave of panic, and within a minute another twenty four genin had left. Naruto frowned, the first one to give up was the guy whose answers Naruto had copied, as his bunshin had concluded that this guy was the one who had the best answers. '_Awfully suspicious that a guy who easily answered everything correctly with such speed, would not dare to take the final question.._'

Naruto saw Kiba's frown as the boy looked back at him. Naruto shook his head when he saw the unspoken question. They would not give up. But what bothered Naruto was not Kiba, but Hinata. She constantly doubted her own ability, so he figured she would also have the highest chance of giving up.

But Hinata did not look back, when Naruto turned to look at her. He could see a tear rolling down on her cheek, even though he could not see most of her face, as she looked down.

'_Dammit Hinata.. Don't you give in, that's what he wants. Don't give those bastards the chance to say that they are right about you, because they're not!'_ Unintentionally, Naruto's anger drew on the Kyuubi's chakra.

* * *

'_They must have made this rule to make Naruto-kun fail..'_, Hinata thought gravely. _'The whole village is against him, so it is likely that they would make a rule to lock him out. It's so unfair!'_

Tears of anger started to flow. Why was there so much injustice towards her teammate? Why would they always go out of their way to harm him, even though it was forbidden?

Her head jerked up when she _felt_ his rage. With frightened eyes, she looked at the angry face of her normally kind teammate. He shook his head as if he wanted to say 'don't dare to surrender'.

She nodded, with a little smile. "Naruto-kun would never give up, no matter what they want to do to him", she whispered to herself. How could she doubt him, the very person whose courage had inspired her all these years?

* * *

Naruto turned back, after being confident that Hinata would not give up.

"Why don't you stop playing around with us?", he exclaimed, after another six had left the room.

Ibiki frowned a bit. The boy had radiated anger for only a moment, and due to the enormous amount of chakra the brat possessed, that intent had nearly paralyzed the other genin. And even scared one group away. He looked around, most of the doubters had already left. "There are still three more minutes if you want to avoid the risk, brat."

"Avoid risk?", Naruto scoffed. "We are shinobi. If I wanted to avoid risk I would have become a farmer."

That broke the tension. '_Darn, seems like that's it.. Anko will have to do the rest', _he sighed. He looked at the 63 genin that were left in the room. "No one else?", he asked.

When no one responded, he shrugged. "All right.. Everyone!", Ibiki spoke loudly. "You all pass."

"What?", several genin screamed. "What about the final question", one demanded.

"I just asked that final question", Ibiki smiled, now completely different. He dropped his intimidating act, and explained. "The final question gave you the two options you had during the first stage of you exams: you could either take the risk, or be scared away. And no, those first nine questions were not pointless", he lauged.

"Those first nine questions tested if you could gather information or not. The last one if you had the guts you will need to back up those skills. As far as I am concerned, those that fled away are incompetent as ninja." He uncovered his head, which caused many of the genin to hold their breath as the saw the horrible scars on top of it.

"Gathering information without being noticed is one skill you will have to possess, unless you want to end up like me", he pointed as his own scars. Several genin paled. "But in order to gather the information, you will first need to take a risk. Those left us today were unfit to become a chunin who could do the higher ranking missions which require you to risk your life."

"It was a leap of faith", he added, as the protests continued. "Because, if you make it to chunin, you will not be able to avoid the danger. If you are not prepared to die, or see your comrades hurt, you should quit this exam and continue your D or C ranked missions back home. There is no place here for cowards! Now, I wish you luck with the next stage of your.." Ibiki went silent when something broke through the window.

This person erected a large banner, and shouted "I am the examiner for the second test, Mitarashi Anko, now let's go!".

"What the..", Naruto frowned. What the hell was going on? The black (or blue?) haired woman was vaguely familiar. The woman wore a tan overcoat on top of a fitted mesh boy suit. She also wore a dark orange mini-skirt, and a forehead protector, but all in all Naruto thought she should have chosen something more decent to wear. Haruki's lectures on good manner finally sorted their effect.

"Bad timing", Ibiki said, showing up from behind the banner.

"What the.. Why did you leave so many of those maggots in here?"

"They're good", the tall man shrugged. "That is why 21 teams managed to survive the first phase."

The woman looked around at the 63 perplexed genin. "Bah, fine, I would have halved them anyway. All the more fun for me", she added with a vicious smile.

"Ok you maggots, get back to your sensei!", the loud jonin said. "Tomorrow at nine we will continue at training ground forty four."

Naruto realized where he had seen her, she was the caretaker of the forest he often went to, and chased him out twice. When he joined up with Kiba and Hinata, he let a wide ferocious grin escape. "Tomorrow will be fun", he stated. "Thanks Chie", he petted her when she jumped into his arms.

* * *

**A/N: **Planned to post this chapter a bit sooner, but got ill. (Un)fortunately I'm merely a human..

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to replace this part of the exam or not, but in the end I felt like it didn't really matter to me what kind of setting it was. The most important thing was that Gaara and Naruto had to meet.. First stage of the exam did not interest me that much, to be honest. The second part is much more interesting. Not to mention the third..

-Z-


	19. The second stage

**Second stage**

* * *

"Do you know Nii Yugito, Naruto?", Kurenai asked, after the three genin had told her how they succeeded their first test.

"She talked to me, yeah", Naruto frowned. The others looked curiously. Naruto saw that Kurenai was troubled by something, and Naruto made a guess. "We've met another one just now."

"He did feel like you did", Hinata said on a sad tone. "Though the influence of the.. 'Other' chakra, was a lot stronger."

"Yugito told me to warn you about another jinchuriki", Kurenai admitted. "I do not know how she figured that out though."

"It takes one to know one", Naruto replied darkly. Kiba realized what they were talking about now.

"Who was he?", Kurenai asked. "Did he have control? Yugito seemed quite agitated."

"Sabaku no Gaara. From Sunagakure", Naruto added. "I do not know much more, but I do know that his mind is nearing the point of being shattered under the pressure." Naruto sighed. "He will probably fall soon. I do not know why they took him here, but in my eyes it looks like they brought an armed bomb over here, waiting till it explodes. Perhaps that is what they want.. This situation is rather strange.."

"I will report this to the Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama at once", Kurenai said on a serious tone. "Try to avoid him, do not engage him at any cost."

After their sensei walked off with a hurried pace, Naruto turned to his teammates. "I cannot do as she asks", Naruto told them. "Gaara has a demon sealed inside him, just like me. However, he is unstable, and a danger to all of Konoha."

"What do you want to do about it?", Kiba asked, afraid of what Naruto was going to answer.

"For you two to stay out of it. No Hinata, I am serious about this", Naruto interrupted her before she could argue against it. "Gaara possesses chakra beyond any other genin. If he progresses to the latter stages of the exams... Or that he loses control when you guys are around. No, I am the only one with the capability to take him down, and the forest of death is the perfect place to get rid of him."

"You can't be serious!", Kiba exclaimed. "Why would you have to risk your life to.."

"Because I am a shinobi", Naruto interrupted him. "It is my duty. And also because I am his fellow jinchuriki. And I fear that he was brought here for a reason. Perhaps as a countermeasure against me, or perhaps they just want to unleash him upon Konoha."

"Suna and Konoha have a peace treaty", Hinata tried to argue against it. "And how would they have know about you?"

"Perhaps they have a treaty. But it would not be the first treaty to be broken..", Naruto replied darkly.

"You should let the jonin handle him, or Jiraiya, or the Hokage himself!", desperately she sought a way out of this situation, she could not let Naruto risk his own life like this.

"And create an international incident? Intervention from Konoha during the chunin exams against one of Suna's candidates? It would be seen as a breach of that same peace treaty, and the world would know that it was Konoha who broke it. What would it mean to the other treaties that Konoha has? It might lead to a fourth shinobi world war.. Especially when Iwagakure is only waiting for an opportunity to attack us. And Kumo isn't exactly friendly either."

"B.. but.."

"Hinata", Naruto said softly. "I know you don't like it, but Gaara is a threat to Konoha, and I am the only one who can do something about it. Whatever I may be, I know I do have a duty. All I ask from you and Kiba is to locate him, and then I want you to get out of there as quickly as you can."

"Like hell we would!", Kiba showed his anger, emphasized by Akamaru's angry barking.

"We would never let you do this on your own", Hinata said with determination, though Naruto could see the tears in the corners of her eyes. "We can help!"

"Do you even realize what you two are saying?", Naruto replied with an exhausted voice. "You have never seen a demon, not a real one. Even back in the ruins you only saw a fragment of it. If I am right, and Gaara loses control… I even doubt that one of the jonin would be capable of stopping him alone. Perhaps Jiraiya could, but even he would have a hard time."

Naruto became a bit angry, though a corner of his mind realized he loved it that his teammates would take such risk for him, he would never actually allow them to take the risk. "If I face Gaara, you two _have_ to get out of my way. I will not let you risk your lives because of what I have to do. If you guys are too close you would only distract me. It would only hold me back."

Hinata looked like he hit her, and Kiba and Akamaru growled. Though it pained him to hurt his teammates like this, Naruto saw no other option. Even if it meant insulting them, he would rather do that than allow them to risk their lives. He rushed away, though not before Hinata caught a glimpse of fear and sadness on his face.

"He is afraid", she said to her angry teammates, when Naruto was gone.

"Of course he is", Kiba growled.

"No, not of Gaara", she replied. "Naruto would not be like that. I think.. I think he is afraid he gets us hurt. Perhaps even that he will be the one who loses control."

"What do you mean?", Kiba's rage turned into surprise. "He just told us we were useless, that we would only be in his way!"

"I think Naruto fears that if Gaara releases his demon, he will have to do the same to stop Gaara.."

"That would… He wouldn't…"

"Naruto-kun will put the village's interest above his own. He just told us that the forest of death was the ideal place... It would be the area where their fight would cause the least destruction to Konoha. Imagine what would happen if a demon was released within a populated area.."

Hinata felt the tears run down. Naruto would be willing to die for the very citizens who cursed him his entire life. "I.. I won't allow it", she stammered. "Jiraiya-sama must be able to help us.. Somehow."

* * *

Silence had filled the room after Kurenai had left. Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his chair, smoking his pipe, whilst staring into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiraiya couldn't blame him. '_This situation is dangerous. We cannot act, unless we want to create trouble with Suna, but if we do not act, and Naruto is proven right about this Gaara's instability.. Last time I nearly saw a jinchuriki lose control, I was just in time to repair her seal', _Jiraiya remembered the ordeal when he had first met Yugito.

The longer the toad sage pondered, the further away a solution seemed. That meant: a solution which avoided casualties in Konoha, and did not lead to war with Suna. Both elder men were shaken out of their reverie when Hinata and Kiba entered. The young Inuzuka could barely contain his frustration while he told them about what had happened before.

"We could promote Naruto based upon his assessment of the situation alone", Hiruzen said with a wry smile.

"Hokage-sama!", Hinata exclaimed, her eyes widened with shock. "You can't mean you intend to.. To let Naruto.."

"No I do not, Hinata", Hiruzen sighed. "But I cannot deny that Naruto's judgement… Well.. If I were him I'd probably do the same.. Jiraiya do you know anything about this Sabaku no Gaara?"

Jiraiya frowned and looked from the genin to his former sensei. "If I remember correctly, Suna had sealed away a demon called Shukaku. This creature is said to be the restless spirit of a corrupted priest, but I suspect that it is truly the Ichibi, the one tailed bijuu." Jiraiya sighed. "Sensei, in all honesty, there are probably only four people in Konoha who can engage such a demon and live."

"And one of them has no intent of causing a global war", Yugito spoke from the window, startling the others. Which was quite a big deal, considering the two people she managed to surprise. "Don't worry, I have no intentions of acting against Konoha, Hokage-sama", she added quickly, when she saw Hiruzen rise from his seat. "I will _defend_ myself when I am attacked, but I cannot attack a chunin-candidate while he is participating in the exams. Raikage-sama would forbid me to do so, and he would be right."

"But..", Kiba tried to protest.

"Aside from the three of us, Naruto is the only other who has the raw power to match Gaara", Yugito spoke clearly. "But it would be foolish to think that he has the control needed to match Gaara if the latter loses control."

"Then what do you propose?", Hiruzen asked sharply. "We cannot act, but cannot afford not to intervene when there are so many lives at stake."

"If you want to kill Naruto, you should send him to fight Gaara right now", the jinchuriki spoke bluntly. "He is not ready yet."

"Perhaps, but perhaps not", Jiraiya spoke softly. "Never underestimate Naruto's ability. And like you, Yugito, he was forced to grow faster than any other child."

"Do not compare us", she hissed back. "The Kyuubi is something completely different from the Nibi!"

Hinata and Kiba were shocked when they realized who this woman was.

"This is not the time for this", Hiruzen said with a tired voice, as he lifted his hand to end the discussion. "If you think that it is time which Naruto needs, than I propose that Hinata and Kiba try to stop him from engaging Gaara tomorrow. And all this is a secret, of course.."

"We will try our best, Hokage-sama", Hinata said in relief.

"Hold it", Jiraiya warned. "Naruto will be able to sense Gaara. Guiding him the wrong way, or stopping him, will prove to be a very difficult task. Especially with that stubborn nature of his."

"We don't care", Kiba replied. "We know we must stop him, and we will."

Hiruzen smiled at the determination he saw on faces of the young genin. "I will arrange for a strong paralyzing poison to be brought to the Hyuga manor. Add a little to a kunai or senbon, and you should be able to stop Naruto for a few hours", Hiruzen said gently to Hinata.

"Jiraiya, and you too, if you are willing, Yugito-san", Hiruzen continued. "I ask you two to go to the central tower. If you notice things go wrong, you have my authorization to intervene. And if it is possible, train Naruto while he awaits the next stage of the exam."

"Yes, Hokage-sama", Jiraiya and Yugito agreed.

"And I trust you two will do your parts as well, and keep this knowledge secret from everyone else", Hiruzen frowned. He did not like it to rely on two genin in such sensitive matters, but under the current conditions…

"Eh.. Hokage-sama?", Hinata asked hesitantly. "If Gaara gets through the second stage, how will he be stopped?"

"There will be a one month period between the second and third stage", Hiruzen said seriously. "If possible, I will arrange it so that Naruto faces Gaara under controlled circumstances. Also, I will notify the jonin-sensei from Konoha to warn their students about this Gaara."

"After what happened today?", Kiba smiled weakly. "None of the others would even dare to get close to either Naruto or Gaara, let alone engage them..."

* * *

"Yo, Haku!", Naruto drew his former enemy's attention. Hinata and Kiba had not yet arrived at the meeting place, but Naruto knew he was a bit early, with another 25 minutes before they had to report at the entrance. But many of the foreign teams had already gathered, though Naruto had not yet seen Gaara.

"Naruto-san", Haku replied, somewhat pensive.

"So, I take it that you returned to Kirigakure?"

"Yes, after the current Mizukage-sama was appointed, Zabuza-sama was willing to return. Mizukage-sama was quite happy with our return, and has allowed me to join a genin team and take the exams."

"Even though becoming chunin is only a formality to you", Naruto smirked, remembering the boy's skill.

"I don't know", Haku replied honestly. "After my defeat, and what happened yesterday, I doubt whether it would be that easy. I cannot, however, disappoint both Mizukage-sama and Zabuza-sama."

"You sound as if you doubt yourself", Naruto said somewhat surprised, "Even with your strength?"

"Tell me, Naruto, what do you think is 'strength'?"

"Strength?", Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I uhm.. Being able to beat any enemy with my own power?"

"Don't you think strength should have a reason?"

"Reason?"

"Why would someone use his strength if he has no reason? They say that each of the kages is so strong because they all have a lot of people who they need to protect. I believe… When a person has something important to protect, that's when they can truly become strong."

Naruto frowned. He remembered the moments when he felt strongest, like in the country of waves. He recalled his own reasons to face Gaara. '_Protecting those I deem important.. But who do I..'_, Naruto mused, before thinking about his team, about Haruki, Ako, Jiraiya, and even the old Hokage.

"Perhaps you are right", Naruto admitted. "But why tell me this?"

Haku looked at him sharply. "I have seen you act, both yesterday and while in the country of waves… I have always lived and fought to serve Zabuza-sama, and now Mizukage-sama. But when I saw you, it felt like you only fought for yourself. As if you do not know any reason for which you fight."

Naruto did not really know how to counter that statement. Haku returned to his team members. "Strength without reason", Naruto mumbled. '_But reason do I have? I do my duty to a village which shuns me. I act kindly to those who return it with hatred. Do I even have a reason?'_

Naruto felt the Kyuubi chuckle. "Reason? Reasons are for weaklings, you should fight for yourself, because no one else will fight for you..", the fox spoke darkly.

Normally, Naruto would have agreed immediately with this… But this time with team 8 has make him see something different. Naruto felt like he began to change, if only it was a little.

* * *

Naruto had another ten minutes to ponder about his own reasons, and Haku's statement, before he was joined by a serious looking Kiba. Even Hinata seemed somewhat agitated. _'Still annoyed by the Gaara thing I guess'_, Naruto thought. The group remained unusually silent.

'_Great, I even manage to scare away the few people who don't treat me as an outcast_', Naruto scowled. But he felt as if it was needed. He would rather be hated by them, than to let them risk their lives like that.

Mitarashi Anko had finally appeared, but Naruto heard relatively little about what she said, still lost in thought. Though not lost enough to be unable to dodge the kunai the annoyed jonin threw at him. "Pay attention, maggot", she spoke, appearing from behind him.

Naruto felt his anger surge, but before he could respond, another genin appeared behind Anko. Who handed her the kunai she had just thrown… With his extended tongue.

"You dropped this", he said with a creepy voice.

"Why thank you", Anko responded, seemingly friendly. "But don't sneak up on me, unless you want to die.. Seriously.."

"My humblest apologies", the genin said, though there was nothing in his voice that agreed with his words. "I just got a little exited by that blood", he pointed at the scratch on Naruto's face.

As the tall, dark-haired genin stalked off, Anko frowned a bit. "Looks like we've got no shortage of bloodthirsty ones this time." She looked down at Naruto, "Be careful for that one too, don't act stupid, kid. Kurenai would kill me if I let anything happen to you..", she whispered.

Naruto didn't miss the slight traces of agitation in the jonin's voice. '_Great, now we have that long-tongued creep to worry about as well? And she is aware of Gaara as well..'_ Naruto had just realized that he could not notice anything which might have implied that the Hokage had taken countermeasures after Kurenai's report, but he now guessed he was wrong.

"Are you alright?", Hinata asked softly.

"Huh? O, it was just a scratch, it's already healed", Naruto said casually, wiping the blood drops off his cheek to demonstrate it.

"Just pay attention, Naruto", Kiba said on a serious tone. "We've got to get a scroll from the tent over there, and capture its counterpart during the test. Once we have both scrolls, we need to go to the tower in the centre."

"Yeah, yeah. Scroll. Tent.. I heard her", Naruto shrugged.

"Then don't act stupid and focus on the mission", Kiba growled.

As Kiba stalked off to the tent to collect their team's scroll, Hinata watched Naruto carefully. Her mother's lessons enabled her to 'read' most people fairly accurately. But she could not figure out what Naruto was thinking. Despite the determination he showed the day before, he now seemed distracted by his own thoughts.

"Say, Hinata", Naruto shook her out of her contemplations. "Where would you fight for?"

"I.. I don't..", she stammered. She taught he was talking about Gaara. "I would rather not fight at all."

Naruto frowned. "Fighting is inevitable, we are shinobi. But what should we be fighting for?" Kiba returned, and Naruto saw Hinata would not answer him.

"Here, you two fill in these agreement forms", the Inuzuka said bluntly. "Somehow, there seems to be a risk that we might die."

* * *

"A little to the north east", Hinata whispered to her teammates. Within ten minutes after entering they had tracked down another team. Of course, team 8 had an unfair advantage, with both Kiba and Hinata in a single team.

"There is something strange about them", Hinata added, while they drew close to them.

"Genjutsu", Kiba hissed. "Release", the three chanted. Even though Naruto wondered why he did not feel any change at all.

Three genin dressed in yellow jumpsuit fled away from the clearing. "Seems they were preparing some kind of trap, and we disturbed them before they finished it", Hinata explained. "Wait, Naruto!"

But Naruto did not wait, he easily caught up with the three terrified genin. Naruto saw their head protectors, they were shinobi from Amegakure.

Naruto decided to send out three kage bunshin to capture the three cowardly genin. "Give me your scroll", he said calmly, when his bunshin brought his victims to him. Kiba and Hinata jumped down, finally having caught up.

"Now", Naruto growled. Seemingly not willing to take a chance, one of them, the only one with both his eyes uncovered, took out a scroll. Sensing his intent, Naruto sliced a kunai through the boy's throat.

Hinata screamed out as Naruto executed his captive, and then noticed that the scroll he had taken out was a fake.

The boy had been willing to ignite an entire scroll of explosive tags.

"Last chance to keep you lives", Naruto's voice threatened the remaining two genin. They surrendered quickly, this time handing over the real scroll, which Kiba took.

"Another heaven", the Inuzuka said tersely, not yet realizing Naruto had just saved them. The two survivors took their comrade's body and left, heading back to the entrance they came from. "You keep these two, Hinata", he added, handing over the scrolls.

"Why the hell did you just do that?", Kiba snapped.

"Kiba-kun, he was trying to ignite a scroll filled with explosive tags", Hinata explained softly.

Kiba frowned a bit, but was not satisfied. "Nevertheless, you", he pointed at Naruto. "You should control yourself."

"You did draw on the Kyuubi's chakra very easily", Hinata agreed, before Naruto could respond. "I know you are agitated, but.."

"Hinata is right", Kiba growled. "Right now, you are a mess, Naruto. It's bad enough to be afraid of one lunatic around here, so don't lose your mind as well."

"I don't", Naruto growled back. "Did we get the right scroll?"

"We already had the heaven scroll. I told you that already", Kiba countered, "You killed that guy for nothing."

Hinata was a bit worried by Kiba's anger, and the somewhat disillusioned look in Naruto's eyes. She activated her byakugan. "North, nearly a kilometre away, a girl is attacked by a bear."

"Maybe she has the right scroll", Kiba said grimly.

* * *

Karin lost track of her teammates when they were ambushed by another group. A kunai had wounded her left calf muscles, hindering her movement. Once she was able to escape her pursuers, she decided to take a little rest to heal her leg.

"Damn it all", she screamed, running away as fast as she could on her injured leg. The cave she had just looked inside was occupied by a large bear. The black-furred creature now chased her. Normally, the beast wouldn't have had a remote chance of keeping up with her, but after sustaining her wound and fleeing for over half an hour, Karin was unsure if she could outrun the creature.

And as if her situation wasn't bad enough, she now felt three shinobi in front of her as well. Her sensory skill told her that two of them were fairly regular, though above average. But compared to their teammate…

"Shit, shit, shit! Why would I have to cross paths with one of those two", she exclaimed, having witnessed the confrontation between the Konoha and Suna shinobi the day before.

She tried to evade, but between the bear and them, she saw no chance of escape. Despaired, she tried to hide behind a nearby tree.

"Gatsuga!", one voice exclaimed, and another barked. After a huge crash, she saw the bear falter away. "Well done Akamaru!", the voice said enthusiastically, with some happy barks in response. Karin froze, perhaps they would not notice her.

"Where are your teammates", a gentle female voice asked her. Karin looked up, into the white eyes of the girl which now stood before her.

"I don't know", Karin said with a hoarse voice, she put up her hands. "Please don't kill me!" Karin silently scolded herself for not being able to hold her tears in. But within the hour, she had already expended all of her chakra. And had faced death several times.

"Nehh, _we_ don't kill people", the boy whose voice she had heard earlier said. "Where are you from?"

"Kusagakure forehead protector", another voice answered for her. This was the blond chakra monster she had seen earlier, and she backed away in fear.

The blond sighed, and the girl stopped Karin from moving away. "Naruto-kun doesn't hurt people who don't intend to hurt us", she said with a soft voice, though her eyes were focussed on the other boy who now had a little dog on his head.

"Only if you don't give us your team's scroll", the dog-carrying boy said with a wolfish smirk.

Karin looked at them, despite her initial fear, the red haired girl realized they had no intention of hurting her, instead: they had saved her. "Thank you", she said weakly. "Thank you for saving me."

The boy named Naruto tensed as Karin rummaged in her pack. "Have this", Karin said, handing over her team's scroll. "I don't know where my teammates are, if they even survived the ambush we ran in before all this…"

"Who attacked you?", the white-eyed girl asked.

"I think they were from your village. A older, grey haired shinobi led them."

"Doesn't seem like anyone we know", Naruto answered. "Kiba?", he asked the dog-wearing boy who had saved Karin earlier.

"Nope", and after the dog barked, "and neither does Akamaru". The white-eyed girl also shook her head in denial.

"Do you have some kind of sensory ability?", Naruto asked Karin. "What? She looks at me quite funny", he explained when the others looked at him.

Karin nodded. "Y.. Yes. I can sense you.. You and whatever else that is inside you. It isn't… Right."

Kiba laughed. "I told ya, Naruto. You should control yourself."

"Kiba", the white-eyed girl warned him softly, as Naruto frowned. "Don't."

Suddenly, Naruto struck out. Karin screamed in fear, and tried to dodge.

"Stupid", Naruto smiled mischievously, as he pulled his fist away, which now contained a snake. "This place is filled with dangerous animals. You are a sensor right?" Karin nodded. "We've got three scrolls now, if you help me out I'll give you our spare scroll of heaven."

Karin's eyes widened. "Why.. Who are you looking for?"

"Did you see the suna-genin with that crazy gourd on his back?"

"Naruto", Kiba said sharply. "No. Don't go after that guy!"

Karin looked at them, Kiba and the white-eyed girl disagreed with Naruto, but it was Naruto who offered her a scroll. "I sense five people in this area with extraordinary chakra levels."

"Aside from Naruto-san", she continued, "there are two located in what I think is the centre of this area, another one is east, and the last one is in the western direction."

"Can you sense if any of those last two is like me?"

"Naruto, please don't", the white-eyed girl pleaded.

"They both have strong evil chakra", Karin decided to trust the other two, despite not knowing what the problem was. "The one in the west is the most vile, but doesn't seem to move very quickly." Karin didn't know who this was, but the chakra was not nearly as inuman as that of the suna-genin and Naruto.

Naruto frowned. "Why don't we take a short break? You need to be fixed up first. I'll get some food, you guys set up camp."

"I saw a cave a little to the north-west", Karin added. "That's where I met that bear..", she admitted with some embarrassment in her voice.

"Great, then it's empty", Kiba said. "Let's move."

* * *

"Thank you, Hinata-san", Karin said, after the girl who had introduced herself as Hyuga Hinata had cleaned and bandaged her leg.

"Karin-san, could you please make sure Naruto-kun does not meet this Gaara of the desert?"

"It would make our day quite a bit easier", Kiba added.

"I already did", Karin admitted, Naruto was still away and she wanted to figure out why the other two wanted to avoid this Gaara so badly. "When you two asked Naruto not to chase this Gaara, I decided to help you. You are the one who saved me", Karin added shyly, looking at Kiba.

Kiba looked a bit uncomfortable under the compliment. "So this Gaara was the chakra you sensed in the eastern direction?"

Karin nodded. "Though I am not entirely sure, I think so. The one in the east is comparable to Naruto, while the one in the west is significantly weaker, though still stronger and more evil than any other signal in this area."

"So the other two must be Jiraiya-sama and Yugito-sama", Hinata whispered. Though, she was a little uncomfortable that there was another powerful chakra amongst the genin, one which she had failed to spot the day before. She knew very well that it was rather difficult to hide from her doujutsu.

"So, who are you?" Kiba asked Karin, the latter now petting Akamaru, just before Naruto entered their cave with rabbit and a variety of fruits.

"My name is Karin. Though I live in Kusagakure right now, I know I wasn't born there. I lived in an orphanage there, after my village was burned down during the war."

Naruto looked up, his distaste obvious when she spoke the word 'orphanage'. "I was the only survivor of my village, or so I was told", she continued. "I don't know if I belong to some clan, but when the shinobi of the hidden grass found out that I had a sensory ability, they.. 'Recruited' me."

Naruto frowned, he knew many orphanages did not bother to hide the way they sold children who showed a particular talent. "Do you like it over there?", he asked.

Karin's silence was enough to them. "If you don't like it, you could always defect", Kiba said, "I mean, just hide in these woods, and after the test is finished you could request to join the Konoha shinobi force. Kusagakure would just think you died during the exam."

"That… Would be nice", Karin admitted, at the thought she could escape that place. "Though I doubt they would see me as much more than another tool here.."

"People are not tools", Naruto said darkly.

"Hokage-sama is not like that", Hinata said quickly, realizing what Naruto meant. "He respects his people, just as he would not let people throw away their own lives", she added pointedly.

Naruto did not fail to notice what Hinata had meant, but focussed on the fruit, while Kiba prepared the rabbit. In a little while, team 8 and their temporary ally were eating.

"Thanks for the food.. But why are you taking a break this early?", Karin asked.

"Right now, everyone is out 'hunting' right now", Naruto explained. "We already have what we needed, so we don't really need to rush, especially now that tracking has become even easier", Naruto yawned.

"And I did not really sleep that well either", Naruto admitted. He was bothered by the whole situation around Gaara, which also caused the Kyuubi to keep annoying him throughout the night.

"We could extend our break a little, so you get an hour of sleep", Hinata offered.

Naruto looked at her, and at Karin. "Fine, but wake me if he start to move."

* * *

"He's attacking another team", Karin hissed. Kiba woke up Naruto, and the four of them moved. Karin's leg had healed with remarkable speed, something she though was normal, but was impossible to anyone but Naruto. "Another kilometre north-west", she said, after a while.

Hinata's byakugan, as well as the noses of Kiba and Akamaru, ensured that they avoided any traps or other teams. Naruto didn't particularly mind beating up another team, but it would only be wasting time.

When they arrived at the scene, they saw Shino's unconscious body on the ground, and Sakura's panicked look at a screaming Sasuke, who collapsed the moment team 8 came close. "Sakura, what is going on", Naruto shouted, while looking at the odd genin who stood in front of them.

This genin was the one with the freaky tongue, and his chakra level was way beyond any normal genin. Or jonin, for that matter. _'Seems like Karin-san was wrong_', Naruto realized. _'This isn't Gaara, even though this guy is trouble as well._'

"Welcome, Uzumaki Naruto-kun", the creep said. Now Naruto looked better, he saw the genin's eyes were slitted, just like those of a snake. "I had hoped to meet you too, today. Though I would have liked to play around with little Sasuke-kun a bit longer..", the freak smirked at Naruto.

"Sakura?", Naruto urged, but his former teammate was frozen in fear. "Kiba, Hinata, look after them", he ordered. "Look at the wound in Sasuke's neck please." Something about the wound made Naruto feel uncomfortable.

"Amusing", the freak remarked, "But pointless. Do you really think you can engage me on your own, _boy_?" Like a snake, the genin struck out to Naruto, seemingly stretching his own arm.

Naruto did not dodge, but instead quickly fired at the freak. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu", Naruto exclaimed, as did the eight clones he made just before he had arrived.

Yet somehow, the genin was able to dodge the nine fireballs, though this left him open. "Futon: wind cutter", the Narutos shouted.

Though Naruto could not follow the speed at which the freak executed his jutsu's, he could see that this had been a variation on the kawarimi no jutsu. Despite the evasion, Naruto had managed to cut his opponent once. Something the freak apparently had not expected, Naruto guessed when seeing the annoyed grimace on the freak's face.

Noticing his teammates wanted to jump in after having removing their classmates from the danger zone, Naruto used Futon: explosion. Though a weak variant, it was enough to create some distance between them and the freak.

"Now, let's see how this will work out", Naruto grimaced, as he submerged himself in the Kyuubi's chakra, though he took precaution not to dive into it too quickly, to avoid losing control.

"So that is where it went..", the freak murmured, his eyes changing from anger to surprise.

Now enveloped in crimson chakra, Naruto charged in. The freak blocked most of his attacks, but had to exert himself rather than do things casually like he did before.

"Futon: renkudan", Naruto growled, putting enough chakra into the air bullets to blow several trees apart when the freak was hit. "Is it still pointless?", he tried to provoke his freaky opponent, as he drew more of the Kyuubi's chakra into himself.

"Not pointless, Naruto-kun", the freak said with a slight hint of seriousness. "I admit you are better than I had anticipated. But continuing this would be a waste of my time and energy…"

The freak disappeared, and Naruto was surprised that he could not sense how or where went. "This guy was a lot better than he let on..", Naruto grumbled. "Dammit!"

Now Naruto noticed the scratch on his left arm. An injury which the freak had given him before he used the Kyuubi's chakra, and though it seemed minor. As the Kyuubi's chakra evaporated, Naruto could feel a strange itch from the place. And not from healing.

"Antidotes, quick", he shouted at his teammates, while he dismissed the Kyuubi's chakra and jumped towards the place where the others had gathered.

"Damn Naruto, at least tell us something before you.. Naruto? Hey!?", Kiba forgot his anger when the jinchuriki fell over.

"Poison", Karin hissed. The paled Hinata quickly opened her first aid kit, and injected Naruto with a mixture of antidotes which was used against most types of poisons.

* * *

Together, Hinata, Kiba, and Karin brought Naruto and team 7 to a nearby (bear-free) cave. Shino regained consciousness pretty soon, and Sakura was not really wounded, even though she was in a state of shock. Sasuke and Naruto, however, were in a worse condition. Even after a night sleeping, both boys suffered from fever.

Oddly, Sasuke had a strange mark in his neck. Sakura had claimed that the freak, who had called himself Orochimaru, had bitten him at that place.

* * *

By the end of the morning, Naruto woke up, or so he thought.

"Disgusting", the fox said.

Naruto groaned, and realized he was pulled inwards again, to the Kyuubi's prison. "What's going on?", he asked, still somewhat confused.

"You got poisoned, you moron", the fox growled. "And you still let your opponent get away, despite wasting my chakra on him."

"Gheh, you proud bastard", Naruto smirked. "You're just soar you couldn't break free this time."

"Perhaps", the fox frowned upon seeing the boy's bravado. "But I also wanted to warn you."

"About what?", Naruto instantly was on guard. The fox hardly ever warned him, but if he did it was about their continued survival.

"That former teammate of yours, that Uchiha brat", the fox explained. "He got some kind of seal on his body, crammed with a disgusting sort of chakra. If that thing isn't locked, he will fall to it. Not that I would it mind if he died, but it would be annoying if he went rogue.."

"Which would mean you could lose your chance to get rid of the sharingan", Naruto deduced, guessing the reason for the fox's continuous hatred towards the Uchiha.

"That too", the fox admitted. "You know the basics of the evil sealing method, use that."

"I know how to draw it, but.."

"I'll tell you how the hand seals needed", the fox growled. "After you wake up, focus on healing yourself as quick as you can, and use the technique on the Uchiha brat once you have regained enough chakra… The amount you use to summon that large toad of yours should be sufficient."

* * *

Waking up in the real world was a bit more uncomfortable. His body still burned from the fever, and the poison disrupted the formation of chakra as well.

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes and tried to get up. His body was weighed down by something else as well.

"What the..", Naruto whispered with his dry throat. A sleeping Akamaru was lying on top of the blanket which covered Naruto, and next to him, still holding his hand, Hinata had fallen asleep. She still held a wet cloth clenched in her other hand, and Naruto realized that she had been looking after him.

Looking at his other side, Naruto saw the restless Uchiha, who was still unconscious even though he groaned and moved as if he was trapped in a nightmare.

"You should sleep", Shino said softly, startling the blond genin who had not noticed him yet.

But Naruto wasn't able to sleep now he had finally woken up. "How long", he whispered.

"17 hours", Shino whispered.

'_Damn.. That poison must've been quite something if it was able to take me down for such a period'_, Naruto thought. He remained perfectly still, but was unable to sleep, so Naruto tried to mold some chakra. After what seemed hours to him, Naruto was finally able to create a small amount of chakra, and he started to speed up his recovery.

Shino rose up, "Hinata", he woke her up. "Quickly, there are people approaching". At the same time, Karin spurted in.

"There are… You already know?", she said. "They seem pretty capable, but nothing to really worry about. Shino-san, you should stay here, your leg.."

As the other went out, Naruto sat up. Though extremely tired, he could at least move now. "What happened to your leg?", he asked Shino.

"Broken", the mostly covered boy replied on a dry tone. But as the sounds of a fight arose, the impassive Aburame twitched.

Naruto stood up, but was still wobbly. "Give me your hand." Supporting on each other, both genin moved towards the entrance of the small cave. Behind them, Sasuke's restlessness seemed to grow worse, and his groans turned into shouting, as if he was responding to the violence outside.

But that didn't really bother Naruto, he was worried about his teammates. He couldn't care less about Sasuke, at this point. Actually, he believed that a little suffering might just be what the proud bastard needed.

Hinata and Sakura faced a girl from Otogakure, while two teammates from this girl kept Kiba, Akamaru and Karin occupied.

"Gatsuga!", Kiba shouted, and he and the now transformed Akamaru turned into miniature cyclones thrusting towards the long haired sound nin.

Even though they hit their target, Kiba and Akamaru seemed disoriented. Their opponent was hurled away though, giving them some time to recover. Meanwhile, Shino ordered his insects to drain the other, spiky haired, sound genin.

Naruto was cursing at his own weakened condition, and forced as much chakra as he could through his system. Before he could recover, however, a large concentration of chakra erupted behind him, blowing him from his feet.

Disoriented again, he saw Sasuke, standing in front of the cave. But something was wrong, very wrong, as Naruto noticed that half of Sasuke's body was covered with strange flame-like glowing marks.

* * *

Sasuke smiled with contempt as he looked at the attackers from Otogakure. "All this power…", he whispered while looking down at his own hands. "This was his gift to me."

Sasuke's smile turned into a grimace of rage. "Was it you guys?", he whispered, as the marking spread over his entire body. "Who was it that hurt my team… Who was it that dared to wake me?"

The sound shinobi started to look with fear, as they felt Sasuke's chakra surge. The Konoha genin and Karin were frozen, not knowing what was happening. In a blur, Sasuke vanished.

And the head of the spiky haired sound nin exploded, as Sasuke's fist had hit him. The long haired sound nin tried a new strategy. "Here is our scroll", he said with a shaken voice. "Please do not kill us, we did not mean to.."

The shinobi never got to finish his sentence, as Sasuke pushed a kunai into his neck.

"Mythical flower jutsu", Sasuke shouted at the last sound nin. She tried to dodge the seven balls of fire, but failed. The last one struck her back, and she fell down.

"No Sasuke!", Sakura shouted. But too late. Sasuke appeared next to the female shinobi who had the audacity to attack them, and knocked her out with a single strike.

Sakura jumped in to stop Sasuke from killing the girl. This time the pink-haired girl succeeded, and held the boy firmly. "Please… Stop…", she begged him.

As if he slowly realized where he was, Sasuke's rage left his face. And with it, the markings on his body withdrew to the point from which they originated.

When the chakra which had filled his body evaporated, Sasuke fell down to his knees, along with Sakura who still embraced him. "The power…", he whispered, looking bewildered. "What happened to…"

Naruto jumped down, and knocked him out cold.

"What the hell!", Sakura shouted at him. "Why did you..!?"

"Step aside", Naruto growled, cutting her off. "Unless you want to see him die." Naruto pointed at Sasuke.

"Naruto, what are you doing this time?", Kiba demanded. But it was Hinata who spoke.

"That seal, it will consume him", she said, her voice revealing the pain she felt from the injuries she had collected in the previous fight.

Karin nodded. "I don't know what it was, but it was certainly something evil."

"Sakura", Shino called her over, because he had failed to limp towards her. "Please help me back to the cave." She tried to resist, but Shino stopped her. "Whenever it is about Sasuke, you always fail to see the logical solution, step away."

"I know a way to stop that seal from spreading", Naruto explained grimly. "But I am weakened now, so I can't have anyone around me to disturb me. Kiba, could you get me my ink and pencil from my pack? Hinata, Karin, please warn me if anyone else gets too close."

After Sakura sighed in defeat, she helped Shino back to the cave. Though she refused to go away from the entrance, as she wanted to keep an eye on what would happen to Sasuke. And she did not trust Naruto. Especially not after his display against Orochimaru.

Kiba returned with the ink and pencil, and removed Sasuke's shirt after Naruto asked him to.

"I can't draw the complete seal here, so make sure you take Sasuke to Kakashi-sensei. Either he or Jiraiya-sama should be capable to complete this sealing method. I don't have the chakra to do it myself, not right now", he said to Sakura.

Naruto started to draw a complex pattern on Sasuke's upper body, of which no one really knew what it meant.

"Does anyone have some food pills?", Naruto asked, somewhat annoyed that he still only had so little chakra.

"I got some", Hinata answered quickly, with a worried look on Naruto. It was the first time she ever saw him this exhausted or weakened, other than after what had happened in the ruins. How strong had that poison been?

"Thank you, Hinata-chan", Naruto smiled weakly. He swallowed the pill, and turned towards Sakura. "This sealing method will cause him some pain now, but do not intervene. Kiba, if she does, knock her out." Kiba nodded with a smile. Naruto knew well enough how Kiba thought about the fangirls in their old academy class.

"There isn't anyone close right now", Karin answered Naruto's look.

"All right..", he whispered. "Here we go.."

As he molded as much chakra as possible, Naruto also drew out as much of the Kyuubi's chakra as he deemed wisely at this moment. "This should be enough.."

He started to repeat what the fox said inside him. "Hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, tiger, hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, tiger, hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, dog, rat", Naruto mumbled.

"Evil sealing method", Naruto growled, while he put his hand on Sasuke's source of corruption. All the patterns Naruto had drawn previously started to move towards, and encircled the accursed seal.

Sasuke woke up and screamed out of pain. Kiba twitched when Sakura seemed to move, but fortunately the girl was able to restrain herself.

After a few moments, the sealing method was completed. Sasuke had passed out again, and Naruto had fallen to the ground if Hinata hadn't darted forward to catch him.

With his face covered in sweat, Naruto gave her an exhausted smile. "Success", he whispered.

* * *

When Naruto woke up again, he was back in the cave again. This time, Hinata was awake, and gave him something to drink, after she helped him sit upwards. "Thanks", Naruto said softly.

"How are you feeling?", she asked gently.

"Better, still tired but I think the poison is gone now. How is Sasuke?"

"Still unconscious", Sakura answered. "When will he wake up?"

"He should be fine, though it'll probably take a day, perhaps a bit more, depending on his own strength", Naruto answered. "Though I am not entirely sure, it might depend on the strength of that thing Orochimaru left on him. Plus, I didn't have the strength to execute the complete sealing method right now."

"What does that mean?", Shino asked.

"Like I said before: that you have to finish the exam as quickly as possible after Sasuke wakes up, and report this situation to Kakashi-sensei. Someone should either complete or replace the seal I placed on him, but it should keep Sasuke save during this stage."

"Are you saying Sasuke should give up after we complete this stage?"

"I do not know, Shino. But it is likely Kakashi-sensei would say something like that", Naruto nodded. "Though make sure he does not draw onto his chakra before his seal is finished. The seal I placed on him is not perfect, so it could break if he pushes himself too hard.."

"Here is another food pill, Naruto", Hinata gave him another pill, and more water to swallow it away. "You should rest for a bit longer."

"Yeah, you are a mess now", Kiba added. "No use in going after Gaara, in this condition."

Sakura and Shino looked sharply at him. Karin just said, "He is out of range anyway, I presume he entered the central tower already."

"We should report what happened as soon as we can", Hinata said. "If this Orochimaru really was who he said he was, he is the former teammate of Jiraiya-sama."

Naruto sighed, and admitted defeat. "All right, I'll do as you want.."

Kiba looked up. "I thought I remembered that name from somewhere."

"History lessons, Kiba", Naruto smirked. "You should have paid attention on the academy."

"Like you were ever awake during class", Kiba protested.

* * *

A few hours after, Naruto felt strong enough to complete the mission. They left Sakura and Shino behind, and wished them luck. With the death of the sound team, Team 7 now also possessed both scrolls they needed, and with Shino's ability they should be capable of avoiding any further trouble.

As team 8, still joined by Karin who seemed reluctant to leave their side, moved towards the tower, they met two other teams. The first simply fled when they saw Naruto, and the second was routed quickly after Kiba and Hinata ambushed them.

Arriving at the tower, they followed the instructions and opened their scrolls.

"Hi guys", Jiraiya said, though he was surprised to see a fourth genin. "Who.."

"She helped us during the mission, Jiraiya-sama", Hinata answered.

"We saved her after she lost her team", Kiba added, "But we would prefer it if her presence was kept a secret, so she can join Konoha after the exam is finished. We owe her that.."

Jiraiya frowned at the unusual request, and then shrugged. "I take it her teammates presume she died in the forest?"

"I left behind my backpack, head protector, and some blood to make it look real", Karin added. "Not that they would care if I live or die… Please, I would rather stay here, instead of going back to Kusagakure again."

Jiraiya saw her look at Kiba and smiled widely. "Unusual place to pick up girlfriends", he smirked. As Kiba protested both Jiraiya and Naruto chuckled.

Only Hinata did not miss the blush on Karin's cheeks.

* * *

"Orochimaru…", Jiraiya whispered softly after they had finished their report. Karin had gotten a room in the tower, complete with enough resources and the facilities to last a month. She accepted her 'prison', stating that it would be worth it. Jiraiya place a temporary seal on the room so others could not accidentally enter. After that, he and team 8 had moved to the office at the top floor, where the Hokage had just arrived, and team 8 had started giving their report of the situation.

"Though I am glad you did not meet the other jinchuriki", Hiruzen said, "You three do seem to attract problems."

"Sarutobi-sensei, can you allow me to.."

"No, Jiraiya. Anko found the bodies of three genin from the hidden grass, and noticed that it was the work of Orochimaru. As she traced him, he showed himself to her. He said that he would destroy Konoha if we stopped the exam, or tried to capture him. And from what you three just told me, I take it that his 'special interest' in the exam has been Uchiha Sasuke."

"Now what?", Naruto asked. Naruto was still somewhat annoyed that Orochimaru had gotten away before he had the chance to execute a single offensive fuinjutsu.

"You three rest for the next three days. Naruto, I have asked Yugito-san if she could talk with you, and if possible teach you a few things. Jiraiya will stay close and observe you, while she teaches you."

"Should I trust her?"

"Yes", Jiraiya answered. "She owes me, and would not act against Konoha."

* * *

But first team 8 retreated to their specified rooms. Hinata was worried about Naruto, who was still tired due to the whole ordeal. Each team had access to a single shared 'living room', which was connected to three separate bedrooms and one bathroom.

She watched as Naruto rummaged around in their living room. "Are you alright, Naruto-kun?"

"Ehh? Yeah.. I mean no. That damned snake guy damaged my new clothes!", he said with outrage. "I have to find some way to apologize to your mother.."

"Mo.. Mother?", Hinata did not understand this at all. "Why would you..?"

"Yeah, your mother gave me a set of new clothes", he said with some pride in his voice. "Now one of the sleeves got damaged…"

'_Why did mother give clothes to Naruto-kun?',_ Hinata wondered. "Perhaps I could repair it, I mean… Just a quick fix… I-I am not t-that good…"

"Could you do that for me?", Naruto asked in outright amazement. "That would be great!", he cheered.

Her smile at his enthusiasm immediately changed into a furious blush, when Naruto handed her his shirt, now in his undressed torso. He had removed his mesh armour earlier.

Amazingly, Hinata could blush even more, after Naruto exclaimed that she was 'completely awesome', after she had fixed his sleeve.

* * *

**A/N:** Where would Naruto without Hinata?

-Z-


	20. A Lesson

**A lesson**

* * *

"Let's start at the basics", Yugito said. "The demon inside you is one of a certain… Class of demons. Ordinarily, demons do not reside in our world, or so I understand from the historic, scientific, and religious sources. The Bijuu are an exception. Each Bijuu has a number of tails, ranging from one till nine."

Naruto nodded. "Jiraiya-sama once told me something similar."

"Yes, though this is still fairly uncommon knowledge. There are nine bijuu, each with their own unique powers and appearances, and their own number of tails. Many consider the Bijuu not so much as animals or demons, but more as immense masses of chakra. This is also the origin of the fear which both ordinary humans and shinobi have towards the Bijuu, and as such also towards us jinchuriki."

"Power creates fear", Naruto answered. "The Kyuubi once told me something like that."

"Then you must understand that humans have hated and hunted the Bijuu for centuries. This is done because humans also see potential in the Bijuu's power. They wish to use it as a weapon. This is the desire which created _us_. We are at the crossroads between humanity and bijuu, capable of understanding both."

"Understanding?", Naruto frowned.

"How could you use something you do not understand it?", Jiraiya replied.

"Wrong", Yugito cut him off. "The word 'use' is wrong. Naruto, you told me you would not want to be referred to as a tool, but why would do that very thing when it comes to the Kyuubi?"

Naruto's frown deepened. He could not counter this argument, nor was he sure he should even try. "It probably means I am wrong about him", Naruto concluded after a long silence.

"Partly, I cannot blame you for doing such when the Kyuubi only tries to torment you", Yugito admitted. "The Nibi was sealed in me when I was very young, and like you, I grew up with a monster inside me. Or at least, that is what I thought. I was young and did not fully understand what happened to me."

Yugito sighed. "At the same time, the Nibi was imprisoned, and tried desperately to regain her freedom… Understand this, Naruto, the Nibi was hunted down, attacked, and captured by humans, and imprisoned in one as well. How would she have made a distinction between humans, when all treated her equally bad? She hated me as much as all the other humans. Eventually she even came close to breaking free, nearly destroying me. If it wasn't for Jiraiya-sama, I would have been dead, and the Nibi either free or trapped in another child.."

"I was simply at right place on the right time", Jiraiya shrugged, "But this also touches the political aspect of the Bijuu."

"Why politics?", Naruto asked in confusion.

"A jinchuriki who is capable of either using or cooperating with the Bijuu who was sealed within him or her, has powers which exceed that of any normal shinobi", Yugito explained. "Even a kage would think twice before facing a fully trained jinchuriki."

"Which means that the hidden villages have hidden competition: the one with the most jinchuriki has the advantage", Jiraiya added. "As such, there is a delicate balance in our world between the powers of our countries. If a Jinchuriki dies, that balance is disturbed, as it will take a nation quite some time before a new, fully trained, jinchuriki appears. And worse, if a jinchuriki dies, and the Bijuu either manages to escape, or gets stolen and sealed by another village, the balance could be destroyed."

"Which would create another shinobi world war", Naruto deduced.

"Exactly", Yugito agreed. "That is why jinchuriki are generally confined to their hidden villages, to avoid any risk of getting killed or stolen, while they prevent wars simply because others fear the threat that one of us might take action. They use us not so much as weapons, but also as something that terrifies the opponent. A lingering threat that makes any aggressor reconsider."

"So all the bijuu are spread over the five most powerful hidden villages?", Naruto asked.

"As far as we know, there are eight bijuu's captured", Jiraiya admitted. "The Rokubi's location is unknown."

Yugito frowned a bit. "I only knew of seven.. But back to our topic, this emphasizes the danger of someone killing Gaara. If Suna lost their only bijuu, it could create a new war."

"I know, and that is why you people cannot attack him", Naruto replied. "But I am doing the same exam, so if I killed him, it would be something ordinary."

"You are wrong", Jiraiya said. "The way in which this Gaara would die is of no importance, but the very fact that it would happen is enough to cause war. But this is beside the point, we were discussing the bijuu."

"Yes", Yugito continued, "As I said, the bijuu see us jinchuriki only as their prison, and wish to break free. In my case, I used relied too much on the Nibi's chakra, and this corrupted me, until the seal which held her imprisoned nearly broke. After Jiraiya-sama repaired the seal, I focussed my training on increasing my own strength, while keeping out that of the Nibi."

"You needed strength to keep in control?", Naruto frowned, somewhat confused by the paradox of her story. "You talked about cooperation and now about submission?"

"Cooperation", Yugito answered with a slight smile. "But I was told I needed to become strong, so that the bijuu could respect me. Naruto, how could you consider a partner your equal on the battlefield when the other is completely helpless without you? With some help, I gained enough strength for the Nibi to recognize me, so that we could start working on a solution of our common imprisonment."

Naruto nodded. The Kyuubi had been imprisoned inside him, but that also caused Naruto to be trapped himself. Imprisoned by the village, and how people treated him. And as they had just explained, he was also imprisoned in the global political system with regard to the balance between the hidden villages.

"I won't say it has been an easy path", Yugito said with a gentle smile. "But as far as we know, it is the only path open to us. A jinchuriki could become strong enough to force a bijuu to submit, but a bijuu will never stop seeking a way out. Any moment of weakness would be fatal. Cooperation between the jinchuriki and the bijuu is the only viable path. And to tell you the truth, I have yet to reach the same level as my fellow jinchuriki from Kumo in this regard."

"Don't know how this is going to work out… The Kyuubi seems to think this is quite amusing..", Naruto frowned.

"Perhaps, but you are still weak", Jiraiya said with a smile. "Until now, you had little choice but to rely on its chakra, and you did not have the power hold it back. Now that you grow older, your development goes faster than any ordinary shinobi."

"It will pump as much of its chakra into your system", Yugito added. "The same thing happened to me: I was constantly overflowing with chakra, which caused my chakra system to grow with an incredible rate. Our bodies are forced to adapt to levels of chakra ordinary shinobi usually can hardly fathom. While normal shinobi have to train hard to gradually expand their capacity, we jinchuriki are in a constant struggle to keep up, both in capacity and skill, with the chakra the bijuu flood us with."

"So how do I get stronger?", Naruto asked hesitative.

"Training", Jiraiya answered. "I was planning to take some time off after the exams are finished to train you, perhaps I could teach you the basics of senjutsu."

Yugito's eyes widened a bit. "That would be helpful indeed… Naruto, you will need all the strength you can get, as the Kyuubi's strength is as exceptional as its hatred towards mankind is. Your struggle will be harder than mine was. You have to use the time you have left as efficiently as possible, as your seal will not last forever."

"It is breaking?", Naruto asked, somewhat alerted.

"No, no", Jiraiya sighed, putting his hands up to reassure Naruto. "But these kinds of seals have limitations. The seal which the Yondaime placed on you is exceptionally strong, but still: while the Kyuubi keeps trying to break free the seal will one day crumble. Nothing lasts forever."

"How much time do I have?"

"That depends on many things", Yugito answered on a sad tone. "I can only speak for myself, but one of things which caused my seal to nearly collapse, was that I used too much of the Nibi's chakra. This chakra influenced me, changed me, and weakened my will. So aside from the strength of you seal, you should also factor in the strength of your own will, and the rate at which you, willingly or not, use the Kyuubi's chakra. The corruption is a slow process, and you will likely not notice it at all."

"Thank you, Yugito-sama", Naruto changed the honorific to show his gratitude. This was information which would likely save his life.

"I would have liked to show you the various stages which the jinchuriki go through to transform in their bijuu, but sadly I have sworn an oath not to do such a thing outside my own village, unless my life is threatened."

"What is the Raikage's stance towards Konoha?", Jiraiya asked.

"There is a peace treaty", Yugito replied with confused frown.

"But would he allow it if I took Naruto into your country, so that Naruto could train under either you or this other jinchuriki when he is ready?"

"I do not know", Yugito admitted. "Personally, I think it is the duty of one jinchuriki to help another, but I cannot speak for others. Especially when it could shift the balance of power between the countries."

"I will send the Raikage a request, after consulting Hokage-sama", Jiraiya said on a pensive tone. "This could be a good opportunity to strengthen the bonds between Konoha and Kumo."

Yugito nodded, seeing the wisdom of such a move. Naruto frowned, thinking about his team. Naruto realized he would dislike it if he got separated from his friends.

"But first, we will spend some time on your chakra control, Naruto", the woman continued. "There are some specific issues for jinchuriki which I would like to discuss."

* * *

'_Friends.. Do I really care this much about them? Could this be what Haku meant?_', Naruto though, and in his mind he saw Hinata in that cave again, holding his hand as she slept, with the worried expression still on her face. 'C_ould she be a reason for me to become strong? And Kiba, Akamaru, and perhaps a few others as well.. Protecting them would feel like the right thing to do. Even if I have to spend my life apart from them, it would still be a noble goal._'

Naruto thought back at the time she had saved him from the orphanages. He had always believed the Hyuga only took him in to repay their debt towards him, as he had saved Hinata. And Naruto had felt obliged to repay his own debt.

'_But when was it that I forgot about my debts? When did I lose track of the logic I always followed…'_, Naruto pondered._ 'And did someone like Hinata even think about such things to begin with?'_

As Naruto was lost in thought, he noticed had arrived at the mess hall. He saw that another few teams had arrived during the day, among which team 10. Naruto ordered some food and joined his teammates who sat at the same table as Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. Naruto chuckled when he saw the mountain of food on Choji's platter.

"Seriously Choji, it has only been three days", Ino scolded her hungry teammate.

"Yeah. Three long days of nearly eating a thing", the Akimichi managed to say without slowing down the pace at which he consumed his food.

"You should've prepared food in advance", Kiba grinned.

"How could we know this training ground was this troublesome?", Shikamaru answered with a sleepy voice. "This forest was a nightmare.. Bears, tigers, insanely large insects…" Ino shuddered when she thought about the last. "Hi, Naruto", she changed the subject. "Where were you?"

"Hey guys", Naruto greeted them. "Ehm, I was delayed because someone wanted to lecture me a bit. I messed up a little..."

"What did you do wrong this time?", Shikamaru chuckled, though his eyes were unusually observant now.

"W.. We told them a little about the i-incident with team 7", Hinata said. Naruto knew enough, as the Hokage had ordered them to keep the whole Orochimaru-situation a secret.

"O, that's ok. Sasuke got wounded, and I used a sealing method to make sure the poison would not spread through his body. Don't worry, he'll live", he added upon seeing Ino's shocked look. "But I created a bit of a problem because I could only execute part of the seal because I was injured myself as well."

"Who poisoned him?", Shikamaru asked curiously.

"Don't know", Naruto lied. "But the regular antidotes did not work, so I took more drastic measures."

Choji stopped his eating for a moment. "Very nice of you to help other teams, even if you don't have to, Naruto", the Akimichi smiled, his cheeks still filled with food.

"I suppose I could not stand by while he was dying", Naruto shrugged, before he attacked his ramen. '_Well.. Not with the others near, at least.._'

* * *

The remaining two days were quite relaxed for team 8. They talked, ate, and slept enough to recover from the previous days. Jiraiya even hopped by a few times, also to inform Naruto that the Hokage had agreed that Jiraiya could take Naruto as his formal apprentice. Though, Naruto decided to keep this information from his team for a while. Meanwhile, Naruto also had a few hours of training from Yugito each day.

"Ugh… I'm bored", Kiba groaned. Hinata looked up from the book she was reading. Apparently, she somehow brought a book along in her pack. Kiba wished he had done something similar. Not that he liked reading, like his teammates, but still.. It was better than nothing.

Naruto put down the scroll he was reading, and created a clone. "You continue reading, ok?" The clone shrugged, and picked up the scroll. "So, want to play cards or something?", Naruto looked at his bored teammate.

"Nehh…", Kiba answered. "How about something different… Let's see.. What do you think about our classmates?"

"Eh?"

"Well, you never really gave any opinion about others. Surely there must be some you like, right? I just want to know what you think, because you hardly ever talk about others..", Kiba grinned.

Hinata blushed a little when she heard the boys. '_How does Naruto-kun see me?_', she though, both curious and very afraid of the answer.

"There isn't really much to say", Naruto tried to dodge the curious Inuzuka. "I mean, most people disliked me, wether they showed it openly or not, so I just went out of their way."

"With the exception of Shikamaru and Choji", Kiba pointed at the two boys who had usually sparred with Naruto during their classes on the academy.

"Yeah, they always were very friendly to me", Naruto agreed.

"So what do you think about them?"

Naruto sighed, knowing he would have to answer. "Choji is an extremely friendly guy. A bit insecure and perhaps a little bit too trusting and naïve, but he is equally loyal, especially towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru is extremely smart. He always tries to hide it with that lazy demeanour of his, but I know he is far more intelligent than I am."

"And I thought you turned out to be some kind of genius", Kiba frowned.

"I am not", Naruto laughed. "How did Kurenai-sensei say it… I am unable to plan, or look at the small details. She said I never really keep focussed on things, too focussed on my goals and forgetting to think about how to reach those goals.. Shikamaru is about the opposite of that: he can plan ahead and always pays a great deal of attention to every detail. Compared to him I'm merely a scatterbrain."

"So he's a bit like Hinata?"

"I-I am not t-that..", Hinata wanted to protest.

"Yeah", Naruto cut her off. "Hinata is a similar type I guess, also the one who plans for the entire team. The strategist, or the brains of the team, so to say."

Hinata blushed.

"And the others?", Kiba continued. "How about your old team, team 7?"

"I never really got to know Shino. He never talked to me, and I never talked to him, so.. Well, and Sasuke is an arrogant bastard. Only able to focus on himself, ignoring everyone around him. That's why I feel a bit sorry for Sakura. She has her good sides, but she is blindly devoted to someone who doesn't answer her feelings. Or cannot answer them, if you take his clan's history into account."

"I thought you liked Sakura", Kiba grinned. "I mean, she is one of the few people who you talked to, at the academy."

"I did. Once", Naruto shrugged. "She wanted to be acknowledged, and wanted to believe in herself... I could understand that. I could relate to her struggle. But it is quite obvious how she thinks about me, right?"

"W-Why is Sakura-san so afraid, Naruto-kun?"

"She saw me murder a lot of people", Naruto said plainly, looking at Hinata, who was worried by the uncaring tone at which he stated it. "And now she's terrified of me."

"Sakura was supposed to be the smartest of our class", Kiba frowned. "But it always seems as if she doesn't use that big brain of hers whenever she really needs it.."

"Well, she does suffer from the same kind of temper that Ino has", Naruto sighed. "Though Ino is a lot more annoying. Man… She'll never stop bothering you until she can satisfy her own curiosity. She's about as nosy as you are now, Kiba!", Naruto smirked.

"Thanks.. I guess", Kiba replied. He frowned. "And what about team Gai?"

"Neji is a stuck up idiot. Sorry about that Hinata, but he really is. He's far too proud of himself, quite similar to Sasuke if you ask me. Rock Lee is… Well, he's unique, I'll give him that. But he is a good guy, despite his goofiness."

"And that chick?"

"Tenten? She is always very friendly. Though, she is quite strict. But she has to fight against a lot of prejudice, being both a kunoichi and clanless. People always doubt her ability, even though they do not know her.. But I'd say she is one of the most talented kunoichi I know, she'll definitely become a great ninja."

"And?"

"And what?", Naruto frowned.

"Well, I thought you quite liked her", Kiba smirked.

Naruto sighed. "Kiba… It doesn't matter what she thinks of me. Or what anyone thinks. None of these people know who and what I am."

"But..", Hinata started. Both boys turned towards her, so she continued. "But even if they do not know.. They might not change if they found out.."

"Hinata..", Naruto's previous cheerful mood vanished. "When I was on mission with team seven, I though Sakura had changed her opinion about me a little.. But when she saw me… She did not have your eyes and your insight. Or ero-sennin who threatened her", Naruto smiled a little, thinking back about how Kiba was 'convinced' not to be scared of Naruto.

"All these people..", he continued. "I do not have the illusion that everyone will accept me like you guys did. Perhaps they will when I become truly strong, but even then they will still be afraid of me."

"As optimistic as always", Kiba sighed. But Hinata could understand him a little. She saw how the people looked at him. The look of disgust that some had almost resembled the look many of her clan's elders had when they looked at her…

Naruto opened another scroll which had just unsealed. "I'd rather be a realist than a dreamer, Kiba. That demon does not give me the opportunity to live otherwise. But things aren't all bad… Compared to a few months ago, I now have some friends, right?"

* * *

Team 8 was mostly restricted to their own room, whenever it wasn't time to eat. But they decided to slip out in order to visit Karin, as Naruto knew the sealing technique Jiraiya had used. "I use the same thing to protect my clan's books and scrolls", he shrugged. "It's a pretty simple seal actually."

When they opened the door, they saw Karin had already prepared drinks and snack. Even for Akamaru. "I sensed you", she explained when she saw them look. "Uzumaki-san is hard to miss anyway."

"And here I thought I was supressing most of my chakra", Naruto frowned. Karin snickered.

"Your suppressed state still is… Noticeable", Hinata explained with a slight blush.

He sighed. "Guess I still suck at chakra control. Don't worry, Hinata", Naruto added when the latter tried to apologize for reasons he did not understand. "Ah well, these simple things are usually impossible to me anyway. How's your stay, Karin?"

"Great", Karin smiled. "I don't care about being locked up while all the chunin-candidates are around, as long as I can stay in Konoha its fine to me."

"Is your village so bad?", Kiba asked with some concern.

"I don't really like to be used as a tool. All that stuff about 'ninja way'.. I don't care about that crap if it is just an excuse to buy and exploit children."

Naruto frowned. "I can agree with that.. The existing shinobi world only seems to create troubles."

Kiba and Hinata looked a bit uncomfortable, realizing their friend's uncomfortable position. "It's not all that bad", Kiba tried. "I mean, Konoha still does pretty well, doesn't it?"

Naruto looked up. "Even so, Konoha is part of a system, I wonder what would be better.. Taking the entire system down, or allowing it to continue."

"Change it", Hinata said softly. "When you become Hokage, you could change Konoha, and the world will follow your example." Naruto wondered why the girl had so much faith in him, and was a little confused that it made him feel so happy. No one ever seemed to think much of his ambition. Not before Kurenai supported him. And now she said she believedin him too. But why?

"You want to become the next Hokage?", Karin asked with some excitement in her voice. "You certainly seem to possess the chakra capacity to do it. An orphan becoming Hokage… Perhaps that would change all those self-conceited clans, hoarding all the wealth while the clanless struggle in poverty", she added with a growing anger.

"Sorry 'bout that", Kiba replied dryly. And Karin blushed when she realized she had also insulted her saviour.

Hinata frowned, thinking about Karin's words. "No, Kiba, Karin-san is probably right about this. Even within Konoha, the clans are too isolationistic and pre-occupied by traditions."

"Good thing I can make my own clan-laws when I'm old enough", Naruto joked. Not that he expected that he would really recreate the Uzumaki-clan. Becoming head of new clan required a lot of support from the other clans, which he doubted that he would ever get. "Equality would be the first rule, daily ramen a second."

"You and your ramen", Kiba sighed, but Akamaru barked happily.

* * *

**A/N**: Not really about the chunin exams, this chapter, but I wanted to explain the world a little better first. In the original story, jinchuriki's are treated quite badly, but are still deemed to be important to their nations. No, Naruto needed to understand the problem that has arrived with Gaara.

One more chapter and then the prelims will begin!

-Z-


	21. Visitor

**Visitor**

* * *

"You really should not have eaten that much", Kiba scolded Akamaru. Karin had enjoyed feeding the young dog, and the latter had eaten so much Kiba had to carry him on their way back to their rooms.

"Karin knows how much you care about Akamaru", Naruto smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing", Naruto said innocently, smiling at Hinata when Kiba looked away.

Hinata wanted to say something, but suddenly stopped. Knowing that they were in the same building as Gaara, Hinata had picked up the habit of regularly checking the environment with her byakugan. But now she saw something that wasn't right.

"Someone entered our room", she warned, and Naruto vanished.

* * *

"Gaara?", the blonde kunoichi asked. "You're not stupid enough to go here, are you?", she sighed.

Temari and her older brother Kankuro had lost sight of him again. Gaara had the annoying habit of vanishing, which she did not particularly mind when being at Sunagakure. Being close to him was rather dangerous after all. But to let him walk around freely here in Konoha…

She knew her younger brother was obsessed with that blond genin, who possessed chakra as monstrous as his. She feared that Gaara went after him, but their room was empty. "Damned brat", she cursed under her breath. "Where _are_ you.."

With a loud crash, and before she really noticed it, she fell down on the floor. A strong hand crushed her throat. Gasping for breath, she looked into the now crimson eyes of the blond boy who had dared to challenge her little brother.

"What are you doing here? Speak", the boy ordered, with a voice that did not belong to him: deep, growling, and filled with hatred.

Temari could not speak. He really was like her brother, a monster! Her eyes wide open, filled with fear, she desperately tried to get away. But the boy's strength was far beyond her own.

"Why would a little mouse sneak around here? Planting traps?", the boy smirked, "Did you really think you could hurt _me_?"

* * *

"What are you doing?", Naruto shouted.

"Having some fun", the Kyuubi smirked. "And teaching you a little lesson. That stupid woman filling your head with ideas of controlling me."

The Kyuubi laughed. "Just look how I make you choke this girl. How much control do you have now, weakling?"

Naruto's anger grew. "Good, good", the Kyuubi smiled. "Your anger just gives me more strength. Too bad you didn't lose your temper while the white-eyed bitch was around."

* * *

"ENOUGH", Naruto shouted.

Temari stopped her struggling, and looked at the boy's face. His eyes were still crimson, but his voice had gone back to normal. Still, the hand around her throat did not stop squeezing. And it lost nothing of its strength.

"Naruto!", Hinata, closely followed by Kiba, charged in to the room. The Hyuga-heiress flew forward, and using Naruto's distraction she landed a hit on his arm with a single senbon.

One poisoned senbon.

Kiba jumped in to drag Temari away, though she was still frozen in fear, he took care she did not escape. Kiba too, wanted to know what she was doing in their room. But Naruto was their first priority now.

"Naruto? Are you..", Hinata saw the two different types of chakra swirl. He byakugan witnessed the struggle for control. For the first time since she met Naruto she saw his vulnerability.

"You really think a little poison is enough?", Naruto frowned, his crimson eyes showing the amusement the fox felt.

She swallowed her tears, this was not the time to be afraid, Naruto needed something to calm him down. "Naruto.. Please don't give up."

Hinata suppressed her shivering, when Naruto's eyes looked into hers. His gentle blue eyes had been replaced by fiery and bestial crimson eyes, which looked at her without mercy. With his left arm immobilized by the needle with the paralysis poison, he now struggled to lift his right arm.

"No..", Naruto said with an erratic voice. "N.. No.. Don.. Don't…"

Hinata couldn't think. His grimace and despair… She stepped forwards, past his partly raised arm, and hugged him. "You never gave up, Naruto-kun. You will never lose. You can't."

When she touched him, Naruto froze. For a moment, his face showed only hatred, revealing how much his fangs had grown.

But this was but a moment. And after which his arm fell down, and the crimson colour in his eyes disappeared. As did all the chakra he had radiated.

Hinata felt his muscles relax, and the turmoil of chakra end. "I told you that you would win", she whispered, smiled despite the tears now flowing from her cheeks.

* * *

The fox howled. "Curse you! Next time I will break out!"

Naruto smiled weakly when he saw the fox's rant. For the first in a long time, Naruto felt clear. The continuous tension had left along with the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Thank you, fox", Naruto said to his prisoner. "You only managed to show me how much influence you had on me.. And now I know what to look for."

The fox clawed at the bars of his prison, furious that he made such a mistake. His grand plan of breaking free, now suffered a setback like this because of his own impatience!

Naruto simply looked at the demon's tantrum. Not impressed, knowing that the demon could never get to him while the prison was intact. "Sad… I was almost starting to feel some sympathy for you. Don't look so surprised, just because you only expect the worst of others, doesn't mean I am only capable of hating you."

"We're both prisoners, fox", Naruto sighed, after the demon snarled at him. "Both of us are victims.."

* * *

"Thank you, Hinata", Naruto said with a weak but gentle voice, as she helped him to a nearby chair. "But you should not have taken such risk.."

Hinata looked at him, but shook her head in denial. "No, there was no risk, Naruto-kun."

They heard Kiba grumbled as he restrained the struggling Suna kunoichi. She stopped when Akamaru jumped on top of her and barked. Despite his size, his teeth were too close to her face..

"Sorry about that", Naruto said with a little more resolution, looking at the Suna kunoichi. "But what were you doing here?"

Temari looked up, and Naruto saw the pure fear in her eyes. "There is no reason to be afraid", Hinata said gently. "Naruto-kun had a lot of pressure on him the last few days, but he is not dangerous."

"Not dangerous?", the kunoichi responded with a near hysterical voice. "I _saw_ him. He spoke with its voice! I grew up with such a monster near me. I know when I should be afraid and when not. And when I should run for my life and when not!"

"Did your teammates sent you here?", Kiba asked.

"No", Temari admitted. "We lost track of him.. Gaara… I was afraid that.. I thought he would be looking for you", she added when she looked at Naruto.

"You grew up with him?", Hinata remarked.

Temari laughed softly. "He's my little brother, not that he would care about blood ties. To him I am just another target. Another piece of meat which he can squeeze the life out."

"Is he that bad?", Kiba asked while slowly letting her sit up. Despite her still obvious fear of Naruto, she had relaxed a little.

"He is a monster.."

"He is not. He holds a monster inside him, but Gaara himself is no monster", Naruto said firmly. "What was he like when he was younger? Did he change?"

Temari blinked.

"Hell. That wasn't such a difficult question, was it, girl?", Kiba frowned.

"My _name_ is Temari", the girl said with some annoyance. She sighed. "I don't know what you want to hear.. When Gaara was younger, he already was unusually skilled. Father loved him for it. Until the accidents started to happen… People who got too close to Gaara always ended up getting hurt. Initially, this seemed to bother Gaara, as if it truly was an accident. But after he killed our uncle…"

Temari looked down, but she managed to regain her composure again. "After he killed uncle, Gaara changed. He began to enjoy killing. Right now.. To him, it is as easy as breathing."

"What kind of seal does he have?", Naruto asked. He had already sensed it, but Temari had just confirmed his suspicions. Naruto wondered if he could become like that as well.. What would have happened if he had not managed to push the Kyuubi back just now? How long would it take before his mind would crumble too?

"Naruto is the last descendant of the Uzumaki clan", Hinata explained upon seeing Temari's confusion. "He is very skilled in fuinjutsu."

"If Gaara hunts me as well, it is seems inevitable we will fight. If we do, and I could manage to defeat him without killing him, I might be able to strengthen Gaara's seal. Maybe that could give him a chance to regain his sanity", Naruto said softly. "It was not Gaara, who killed. I was the demon, trying to break free from the seal.."

"Is that… Possible?", Temari uttered in disbelief.

"You just saw me", Naruto shrugged. "But seals are not flawless, the demons are far too strong for it. But because of the sealing technique that was used on me, I was able to fight back."

"But why would you.."

"Would you rather have me kill him?", Naruto frowned. "Would you rather have war between our countries?"

"No! No, but.."

"If Gaara dies, Suna weakens. If Suna weakens, there will inevitably be those who will try to exploit that weakness. Beyond that, if the demon got destroyed along with Gaara, it could destabilize the entire balance between the hidden villages, and lead to global warfare", Naruto explained, keeping his voice calm and controlled. "Though, I presume the same could be expected if Gaara would kill me." Hinata and Kiba looked at him.

"Listen, Temari of the sands", Naruto insisted. "This is your choice, either take it, or watch the world fall apart."

"I… I don't know much about his seal. I haven't really seen the seal that was put on Gaara for a long time..", Temari hesitated.

"And it is a secret?", Kiba deduced. "Chunin are supposed to be able to think and act for the good of their village, _girl_."

Temari grimaced, but managed to ignore the sneer. "Do you really think you could defeat Gaara, without killing him?"

"You just said that I'm a monster like he is, right?", Naruto shrugged. "So why not? Look, I know this is dangerous, but if there is a chance to avoid war, don't you think we should take it? Fuinjutsu is allowed during the exam, like any other jutsu, so technically I would not even break any of the exam's rules. But if any of the jonin are forced to interfere during the exam, we still risk an incident."

"We will not tell anyone about this", Hinata promised. "But please listen to Naruto-kun.."

Temari started to explain what she knew about the seal that Gaara had. Though his teammates did not understand, Naruto nodded a few times while Temari spoke. "I see.. This won't be easy, but with some preparation, it should not be impossible either..", Naruto frowned.

Naruto stood up from his chair, still shaky from the poison which was supposed to completely paralyse him. Naruto frowned, and considered the possibility that his resistance had improved due to Orochimaru's poisoning earlier. "Please do not tell Gaara or anyone else about this, Temari-san."

"Where are you going?", Kiba demanded. "Don't tell me you forgot that that Gaara is looking for you."

"Gaara is not near us, at the moment", Hinata replied, her byakugan activated. "He is at the third floor, talking with a tall man… A one-eyed man."

"That is our jonin-sensei. So Baki-sensei found him..", Temari sighed in relief. "Do you really know what you are doing?"

Naruto frowned a bit. "I have a good guess. Don't worry", he added when Temari opened her mouth to argue. "I will consult Jiraiya-sama first, the one who taught me about fuinjutsu. I do not know what will happen tomorrow, so I need to confirm a few things about the techniques I know." He turned around. "Listen, things will possibly become rather rough once we face each other… But I promise I will do whatever I can to avoid killing your little brother. Well, unless my survival depends on it.."

"Please don't worry too much, Temari-san", Hinata said after Naruto had left the room. "Naruto-kun made a promise, and he always keeps his promises."

"Why does he care so much? Why would he risk himself…", Temari was confused. And it wasn't helping she was now thinking about Gaara as her younger brother against, in contrast with the image of a monster she had of him the last few years.

"Naruto-kun was always alone", Hinata said gently. "Perhaps he sees Gaara as someone similar to himself… I don't think Gaara ever frightened Naruto-kun, but Naruto-kun is just unable not to worry about someone who is so similar to him. Perhaps he pities him, because he too could have become like Gaara.."

"He is too obsessed about this Gaara to joke about it anyway", Kiba added. "But we must thank you.. You gave him a way out, a path where he is not forced to kill Gaara."

Kiba's gratitude was extended by Akamaru, who licked Temari's hand.

* * *

**A/N:** I considered to let Gaara stay as a rather one-dimensional evil being, for Naruto to kill. But I thought the manga did a good job on portraying part 1 Gaara's complexity. The nearly lost struggle for his humanity.. I wonder how hard it must be if you cannot trust your own sanity.

On a personal note: college has started once more. And seeing how I'm approaching the end of my study, I will be getting busy soon. So, even though I have already finished the rough version of the chunin exam, and started on working out what comes after, I will not be able to keep up the rate at which I have been posting chapters right now. Or else my sanity would go down the drain too ^^

-Z-


	22. Preliminaries pt 1

**Preliminaries pt 1**

* * *

All the genin had gathered in the large arena at the basement of the tower. Naruto noticed that team 7 had also arrived, though only barely on time. Despite the low odds that rookies were supposed to have, all three teams had made it. Aside from them, Neji's team was also present, just as Gaara's team, and Haku's.

Together with a genin team from Iwagakure, and another from Kumogakure, there were twenty-four genin present.

Naruto saw that there were a lot of jonin present, aside from those who taught the teams present. Team 8 had gotten a message from Kurenai the previous evening that she and many others had been busy because of Orochimaru's appearance. She had insisted that they should be careful, and told them she would meet them today.

"Hinata, how does Sasuke look to you?", Naruto whispered, ignoring Kiba. His teammate was (unsuccessfully) trying to calm down Akamaru, who jumped around the Inuzuka, unable to restrain his enthusiasm.

She activated her byakugan, and after a few moments, she whispered back: "The seal is still in place."

"It hasn't been replaced yet?", Naruto frowned. Hinata shook her head in denial. "What are those idiots doing…", he mumbled. But Hinata did not know. Though she assumed that there had not been enough time to replace the seal.

Sasuke himself was oblivious to his onlookers. Not unreasonable, as Sakura and Ino were once again bickering about their 'right' to stand closest to their object of affections. _'Morons_', Naruto smirked to himself._ 'They still don't realize he hates that.'_

All murmur silenced when the Hokage stepped forward. The old man turned towards the genin, with an examining look in his eyes. He briefly returned Naruto's smile, but Naruto saw his brow slightly twitch twice: first with Gaara, and the second time when he looked at Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test, listen carefully!", Anko shouted, with an unusual respectful tone.

After nodding towards the jonin-sensei who were present, Sarutobi Hiruzen started to speak. "Congratulations for making it so far into the exams.. But before I explain the third test, there is something I would to tell all of you."

"It concerns the true reason for this exam..", Hiruzen continued. He tapped the hat which symbolized his position as the village's kage. "Why do we have all the countries taking the exam together?"

He paused for a second, and several genin frowned in confusion. "There are a lot of reasons which the villages teach, but I do not want you to be confused about the true meaning.. This exam is a replacement for war among our countries."

"What does that mean", Tenten raised her voice among the murmur.

"The current allies were once enemies, who fought one another for the right to rule. The chunin selection exam originates from a time when the countries tried to end the wasteful fighting, yet still desired to demonstrate their strength. You fight for your land's prestige."

"Why do we have to risk our lives in battle for such a thing?", Kiba exclaimed.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the village", Hiruzen answered on a serious tone. "The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi. This exam is a place to see each country's strength, and to show off your own strength. The third test is a life-risking battle, in which you show that strength to the world. Both to the representatives of other villages, and clients from the entire world."

"I don't care about that, old man", Gaara said with a bored voice. "Just tell us what that life-risking battle entails."

Gaara's insolence annoyed Naruto, but it only seemed to amuse his Hokage. "Before that, there is first a preliminary round. This man", the Hokage pointed at the sickly looking man who stood next to him, "is Gekkou Hayate, and he will be your referee."

The weak looking jonin coughed. "Good morning. Umm.. Before your third test, you first have to make it through this preliminary round."

"Preliminary?", Sakura asked dubiously.

"What do you mean, preliminary", Shikamaru lost his lazy attitude at the thought that he had to face another obstacle in this troublesome exam.

"Didn't we already make it through the second test?", Ino demanded.

"Umm… The first and second test may have been too easy this year", Hayate answered, barely seeming to care what the genin thought. "Too many people for the finals..", he added before coughing again.

"According to regulations, we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants first", he continued. "As Hokage-sama said earlier, there will be guests at the third test, so there is a limited amount of time for the fights. Anyway, those who don't want to continue, please join the other genin who have not made it through the second test", he pointed to the left, where a small number of genin stood.

"No one?", Hayate blinked once.

"Who the hell is going to give up after all this?", Kiba exclaimed angrily.

"These are individual battles. Anyone who gives up does not fail his or her team."

Naruto saw Sasuke and Sakura discussion, though they spoke too softly for him to hear what they were arguing about. When Sakura tried to raise her hand, Sasuke stopped her. Whatever he said shocked her. She dropped her arm, but tears were flowing down her cheeks.

"Sasuke-san will not give up, do you think his seal will hold?", Hinata whispered, after following where Naruto was looking at. She got concerned when she saw Naruto shrug uncertainly.

"I hope so", Naruto said softly. "I hope his stupidity doesn't cause any problems.."

Meanwhile, Anko was also arguing. Though Kakashi stepped in and the Hokage finished their discussion. Naruto could only hear fragments of what they were saying, but his sharp ears clearly heard the word "Orochimaru" once.

Hayata looked around, and coughed again. "Um.. Now.. Let's begin. One on one fights, the names will be shown on the screen behind me. Those who have to wait for their turn go up there", he pointed to the stairs which led to the upper level surrounding the arena.

"Umm.. And we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses.. I'll jump in and stop things when I think necessary. Now, let's begin."

Behind Hayate, the first two names appeared. Tenten would have to face someone named Tadaoki.

"Good luck", Naruto said at her when he walked past her. "But don't show off too much", he smirked. Naruto had missed the morning training with her team. Gai and Lee seemed somewhat insane to Naruto, but Tenten had always been nice. And their training method was the only one that truly exhausted him. As much as he enjoyed his time with team 8, Kurenai never pushed her genin as far as Gai did.

"Don't worry, I won't humiliate anyone", the girl smiled back. "Except you, of course."

Hinata was somewhat surprised by the way the two genin talked to each other. Naruto hardly ever made jokes around other people.

As the others walked to the upper level, Tenten and one genin from the hidden stone, which had to be Tadaoki, remained with Hayate inside the arena. The Hokage went to his seat, and Jiraiya passed team 8, patting Naruto's head while he walked by, as the joined his formed sensei. Like the other jonin-sensei, Kurenai walked straight to her team.

"Congratulations on coming this far", she smiled proudly, and she hugged the timid looking Hinata. "I'm glad you managed, despite the troubles you faced."

Kiba and Akamaru were happy with the compliment, but Naruto looked at Sasuke. "How is he, sensei?", he nodded.

"Kakashi-sempai said that there was too little time to redo the sealing", Kurenai admitted. "But he was surprised how strong the seal was, despite it being incomplete. You really have grown much, Naruto."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment.

"Now, please begin", they heard Hayate say. The genin and their sensei focussed on the arena now, studying those who they might have to face in the final round of the exams.

Tenten bowed slightly, but the stone genin seemingly ignored his opponent. Tadaoki had a sturdy physique, though the face, nearly covered by his spiky black hair, did not hint at much intelligence.

When Tenten jumped back, she threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken. Tadaoki performed a few hand seals and created a stone barrier in front of him, blocking Tenten's weapons.

Tenten frowned a bit, and took out the two scrolls. Jumping up, she released both scrolls, which now spiralled around her. "Twin rising dragons", she exclaimed, as she unleashed a barrage of weapons which assaulted the stone genin from each direction.

Tadaoki repeated his initial tactic, and surrounded him with stone walls.

Tenten smirked when the explosive tags attached to the kunai she had thrown first, exploded.

Tadaoki tried to get out, but was to slow. He fell down, with dozens of shuriken and senbon stuck in his limbs. Though, Tenten had managed to avoid hitting any fatal spots.

Naruto swallowed. "That was some crazy amount of skill…", he said with respect.

"She trained hard, Naruto-kun", an energetic voice replied. Naruto looked, and Rock Lee stood next to him. Unlike his teammate, Neji, Lee was a friendly and somewhat over-enthusiastic person. Naruto could never get used to his clothing, or his stupendous eyebrows, but really liked his fellow genin and former training partner. Lee was one of the people who could avoid detection by Naruto's 'sense'.

He formed an especially strong contrast compared to the stoic and distant Neji. Though Naruto had often trained with his father, Hizashi, he never had spoken much with Neji. Nor did he feel like he wanted to, as Neji had the same behaviour as many within his clan: as if he was superior to all others. But Naruto knew that he, like many in the branch family, despised the main family of the Hyuga clan. Though, Naruto never came to understand why Neji extended that coldness to everyone else.

"I should've known", Naruto grinned, "The way you guys train, there was no way she did not improve a lot."

"We only grow if we challenge ourselves", their sensei, the man who looked like an older (but identically strange) version of Lee. No, Naruto had to correct himself, the clothing looked even more bizarre on adults.

The jonin extended his hand. "It's been a while, Naruto-kun! But I have heard quite a few things about you lately. I'm looking forward to see if you progressed as much as my team!"

"I doubt much has changed, I was only target practice for Lee", Naruto laughed. "There is still no way that I would be able to keep up with that ridiculous speed in a pure taijutsu duel."

Her teammates turned their attention towards Tenten when she walked up. She smiled as they congratulated her.

"Great job, Tenten", Lee exclaimed.

"Glad I don't have to face you", Naruto remarked dryly. He bowed to Hinata. "Not that those explosive tags would hurt that much, but it would've wrecked my new clothes again", he whispered, in an attempt to cheer her up a little. The Hyuga girl seemed to be quite nervous now.

"I never realized you knew Neji-niisan's team that well, Naruto-kun", Hinata said, when Team Gai celebrated Tenten's victory on their own bizarre fashion. Neji kept failing in his attempts to create some distance between him and his sensei, and Tenten herself just stood there with a 'slightly' awkward face.

"While I was in team 7, I trained with Lee and Tenten each morning. Lee is as strange as Gai-sensei is, but Tenten is really nice. A bit direct, and if you mess up she can be quite harsh, but she is a very good person", Naruto replied. "They never bothered me because of the.. You know.. Well, and Tenten is also quite talented in the area of fuinjutsu."

Hinata felt a little jealous of the way Naruto described the girl. "And as for Lee…", Naruto shuddered a bit. "Taijutsu has never really been my strongest point, but I have never been able to keep up with Lee, even when he carries his weights. All I ever saw was a green blur. Though, I haven't sparred with him ever since I came to team 8."

"Damn..", Kiba distracted Naruto when he hissed and pointed at the screen. "Gaara's about to start. Against someone from Kirigakure."

Naruto looked down, not knowing what to feel or expect. Somewhere he realized he was happy he avoided facing Gaara now, but part of him also wanted to just get if over with.

Naruto saw Haku urge his teammate to give up, and even Zabuza, who was their sensei as Naruto had learned from Kurenai, seemed agitated. But the boy was stubborn and walked down.

Though, no one had expected the fight to be this short. Before Hayate could end the duel, Gaara grabbed his opponent using only sand. "Sabaku Kyu", Gaara said with a deceivingly calm voice, as he looked up towards Naruto. Using so much force that the young shinobi from the hidden mist died instantly.

Gaara barely paid attention to Hayate, who scolded him for using this much force, before he vanished and reappeared behind his brother and sister.

"That was to be expected", Kurenai said with a harsh tone. "They were warned and he still stepped into the fight. Such foolishness will get you killed, remember that well", she lectured her genin.

* * *

Haku looked at his opponent with some respect. The dark-skinned Omoi from Kumo seemed to have little difficulty with keeping up with him. And not many were capable such a feat. For a few minutes now, Haku had not been able to find an opening, while he himself had to dodge a few times.

"I am sorry", Haku apologized before he executed his jutsu. A limited amount of water flooded the arena.

"Now what is he planning", Omoi mused. "Or is he a she? If I mistook her for a man, she might be angry with me, but if she is a he then.."

"SHUT UP", his angry teammate shouted at him from the sidelines.

Omoi decided to paralyze his opponent, using raiton. But while he started his hand seals, he saw his opponent lifted one hand.

"I'm afraid I have to end our fight", Haku said with some regret. "I have no intention of ending this in a draw."

Omoi looked impressed when a number of ice mirrors appeared around him. An expression which quickly turned into dismay, as Haku vanished into the mirrors and needled rained from each direction.

* * *

Sasuke grimaced, reliving his defeat when he saw the ice mirrors appear. But now things would be different. Even if it was sealed right now, Sasuke knew he now had access to a power unlike anything he had before.

Even Naruto would be left in the dust, once he managed to unlock that power once again. Sasuke's anger grew again, when he remembered that it was Naruto who had sealed that power. '_He saw what I could do, and became afraid'_, Sasuke smirked. _'He was just jealous, seeing that my potential surpasses his.'_

* * *

"If you face Haku, and he does that technique.. Just surrender", Naruto warned his teammates.

Team Gai and team 10, who now both flanked team 8, listened in. "How do you know about that technique?", Shikamaru asked.

"I met Haku during a mission", Naruto answered shortly. "Between that speed and those icy needles.. I'd say Haku is one of the strongest genin left in the exam."

Neji looked down. His byakugan saw the toll that jutsu had on Haku, and he smiled. If Naruto considered that to be strong..

After Haku walked up, and Omoi was carried away (after Haku had apologized again and promised that Omoi would recover within a day), the first member of team 10 had to go down.

"Good luck, Ino-san", Hinata said. Ino had drawn another genin from Kumo, named Karui.

Sadly, both kunoichi were rather short tempered, and Hayate barely had time to say "Begin", before both girls launched their attacks.

Like Omoi, Karui's skin had a dark tint. Her long red hair and bright yellow eyes gave her a rather spirited charisma. For the first time ever, Shikamaru saw a girl who was as 'troublesome' as his own teammate.

Karui relied, like Omoi, on kenjutsu. Unfortunately for her, Ino had the advantage in speed and flexibility. Despite only using a kunai, Ino had the upper hand against the Kumo girl's blade.

Something Ino did not fail to remark.

"You bitch!", Karui shouted after Ino had whispered something.

In her fury, Karui lunged forward. Ino dodged the strike, and used her left foot to bring her opponent out of balance.

Now having the initiative, Ino rushed forward and wrestled the slightly smaller kunoichi to the ground.

A few chaotic moments later, Karui stood up, while Ino remained on the ground. Unconscious.

The remaining genin from Kumo smiled from their higher position. Her smile turned into confusion when Karui raised her hand.

"I give up", Karui said on a calm tone.

Hayate looked at the redhead and blinked once. "Are you certain you want to surrender?"

"I, Karui, forfeit the match", Karui nodded, seemingly oblivious to Ino's unconscious body behind her.

"As you wish", Hayate shrugged. "Yamanaka Ino wins the match."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!", Karui suddenly shouted, looking around in confusion.

Hayate looked at her. "You just surrendered, so your opponent wins the match. Now, move back so the next match can start", he added on a bored tone.

"I told you, you had no chance at all", Ino smirked, as she stood up. "It's a secret", she added with deceivingly sweet voice, after Karui had demanded to know what had happened to her.

"Uzumaki Naruto versus Rock Lee", Hayate announced. "And you two continue outside the arena, your fight is over", he added, annoyed by the bickering girls.

"Owww crap", Naruto groaned. "Not bushy brows.."

But Lee smiled widely at him. "I've been looking forward to our next duel, Naruto-kun. Let's give it our all!"

"You should reconsider that", Kiba laughed. Not that Lee heard the warning, as he had already jumped down.

"Be careful, Naruto-kun", Hinata said softly. "I know you can do it."

"I hope you are right, Hinata-sama", Naruto replied, half joking with the honorific. "Though I had rather faced Gaara", he softly admitted to himself.

* * *

**A/N:** Before someone panics: no, I did not forget Kabuto. You might wish I did, though..

Next chapter tomorrow! Oh, and regarding Gaara: Naruto maybe wishes not to kill Gaara, but the Kyuubi does not have much love for the Ichibi..

-Z-


	23. Preliminaries pt 2: Lee vs Naruto

**Preliminaries pt 2: Naruto vs Lee**

* * *

"_Uzumaki Naruto versus Rock Lee", Hayate announced. "And you two continue outside the arena, your fight is over", he added, annoyed by the bickering girls._

"_Owww crap", Naruto groaned. "Not bushy brows.."_

_But Lee smiled widely at him. "I've been looking forward to our next duel, Naruto-kun. Let's give it our all!"_

"_You should reconsider that", Kiba laughed. Not that Lee heard the warning, as he had already jumped down._

"_Be careful, Naruto-kun", Hinata said softly. "I know you can do it."_

"_I hope you are right, Hinata-sama", Naruto replied, half joking with the honorific. "Though I had rather faced Gaara", he softly admitted to himself._

* * *

Naruto jumped down into the right, following Lee, and Hayate announced they should begin.

As Naruto had said, Lee was fast. But for some reason, not as fast as Naruto had expected him to be.

'_Is he holding back?_', Naruto thought as he blocked another punch. _'Must be, compared to a year ago, his speed has only increased a little bit. He should have improved much more. Unless.. He isn't still carrying all of his weights, is he?'_

"As I guessed, a taijutsu-only duel with a specialist like you would be suicide", Naruto remarked. Though the fight had only started a minute ago, Naruto was still able to match Lee's speed and strength. "You shouldn't hold back though, I won't stick with just taijutsu. No way I'm going to beat you on your speciality."

Lee smiled enthusiastically. "How did you realize I am holding back?"

"You should have grown a lot more, compared to our last match", Naruto smiled. He looked around and shrugged. "Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu!", Naruto exclaimed.

Lee's eyes widened (as far as it was possible) when he looked around. What must have been at least a hundred Naruto's, now filled the arena. "You've grown quite a bit yourself as well, Naruto-kun", Lee admitted.

"Lee! Take them off", Gai shouted.

"But Gai-sensei, that is only for the times when I must protect.."

"Don't argue, Lee! I allow it for this duel. Take them off and show Naruto what you can do!", Gai's confident voice rang through the hall.

"All right then", Lee frowned, as he took of the weights he had attached to his limbs. "Are you ready, Naruto-kun?", he asked when he was finished, though he did not know which one was real.

"I was already waiting, bushy brow", the Naruto on his left smiled.

"Konoha senpu!", Lee exclaimed as he had thought Naruto had betrayed his position.

"Wow, these are damned heavy", Naruto said from the position where Lee had left his weights. Lee frowned, the Naruto he had just hit had disappeared in smoke, and now he saw another talking Naruto behind him, who struggled to lift one of his weights.

"What?", another Naruto spoke. "We're not ordinary bunshin. We're _kage_ bunshin, not those stupid things. I thought I told you that once before… Oh, and you should probably start being careful now, Lee-san."

Several Narutos smiled at the genin with the bowl-cut hairstyle.

Lee smiled back. "So it is a game of hide and seek?", he asked happily.

* * *

"What are they..", Sakura asked her sensei.

"Well, Lee is Gai's apprentice, so this is not really surprising", Kakashi said on an even tone. "Gai is called the greatest taijutsu specialist in Konoha for a reason, you know."

"But Naruto… How can he be this strong?", Sakura did not even notice how much her tone, somewhere between fear and admiration, annoyed her beloved teammate.

* * *

In a blur, Lee disappeared and popped at least twenty clones. Hinata activated her byakugan to keep up with the lightning-fast genin.

And saw the large formations of chakra that Naruto had created.

"Still not?", Lee said by himself, wondering why he already started to pant. By now, he had destroyed nearly half of the clones Naruto had created. "Why don't you fight back?", Lee frowned.

"Who said I don't?", two Narutos responded with a frown and a shrug. "But if you insist, we can throw in some extra effort", another added.

"Fuinjutsu: gravitation seal, release", several Narutos exclaimed.

Lee was thrown to the ground as he felt like he was suddenly crushed by the weight of a mountain. As he struggled to get up again, he felt the weight lessen, and finally disappear.

Seven clones had sacrificed their chakra supplies for that attack. "Guess I still need to keep this going for a bit, Lee-san. That seal's duration is a bit short, especially when you struggle like that."

* * *

"Lee..", Gai said with a worried tone. Neji frowned, Lee looked strange in the sight of his byakugan, while Naruto simply waited for Lee to tire himself out. What was the blond genin doing?

"Gai, I think you should consider to let Lee forfeit this match", Kakashi said softly. "He is already covered with seals", he added.

When Naruto created his kage bunshin army, Kakashi had uncovered his sharingan. Whatever Naruto was planning, Kakashi knew he needed the sharingan to see it coming. Or things would end up like the time Kakashi first tested him. And being embarrassed by a genin once was already one time too many, in his opinion.

"I realized Naruto was doing _something_", Gai said without a trace of his normal goofiness. "But this would surpass my expectation by quite a margin.."

"I know", Kakashi admitted. "He is capable of continuously surprising you, if you don't pay attention. That is why I warn you, up till now Naruto has only been holding back."

"But so is Lee", Gai said resolute. "Lee!", the jonin shouted. "Explode!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

* * *

Lee looked up at his shouting sensei, and nodded.

Naruto looked with surprise, as Lee suddenly increased his speed again. Within moments, the heavily browed genin had decimated his clone army. And still his speed did not go down.

Four bunshin created a barrier around the real Naruto, as Lee demolished the last five outside the barrier.

"Why hiding?", Lee asked with disappointment.

"So I get the time to warn you", Naruto shrugged. "Surrender while you still can bushy brow, don't make me beat you up."

"I cannot, Naruto-kun. You know why. I will never give up."

"As you wish", Naruto nodded.

"Cluster sealing technique, initiate", Naruto said, on a somewhat apologetic tone.

Tenten looked down, frowning at the curious name Naruto just used. She was considered to be talented in fuinjutsu, especially when it came to storage seals, but what Naruto now did.. And why was her sensei so worried? What did Kakashi, Sasuke, and Neji see that impressed them so much?

Aside from Hinata, Neji, and Sasuke, none of the genin understood what had just happened. To them, nothing changed, only that Lee was somehow incapable of standing up.

"What did you do?", Lee panted. "How.."

"Weight seals", Naruto explained. "Every bunshin you destroyed left another seal on your body. I estimate your body would weigh at least 8.000 pounds around now. More or less."

"I see.."

"I am sorry for using such an underhanded tactic, Lee. But I'd rather do this than resort to something that might kill or maim you. And with your speed, I had no other option."

"No, it is a fair tactic", Lee said, smiling once again. "But that leaves me no other option either."

Naruto watched as his opponent suddenly seemed to radiate chakra. And Lee's skin turned red.

"The third.. Life gate.. OPEN!", Lee exclaimed.

The only warning Naruto got was the shattering of his barrier. Something heavy hit Naruto, and he felt his body fly upwards, while he tasted blood in his mouth.

Jiraiya gasped as he witnessed how Lee punched Naruto several times, before the genin caught his opponent with the bandages he had around his ams. "This is dangerous..", he whispered to his former sensei. "We should.."

"Not yet, Jiraiya", Hiruzen said.

Naruto could not stop Lee, as the latter made them spin with high speed as they crashed down towards the ground.

As Gai had taught him, Lee released his victim just before he reached the ground, in order to avoid crashing down himself as well.

But with a devious grin on his face, Naruto grabbed Lee's arm.

Kakashi stopped Gai just before the latter could jump down. Both genin had crashed into the floor of the arena. Gekko Hayate found himself lucky that he stood at some distance, but was still coughing from all the dust that was blown up due to the impact.

"These brats are insane..", he mumbled.

* * *

"Not again", Naruto grumbled at the demon inside him. "Kyuubi, quit it! Don't mess around with my fights!"

"Why..", the fox imitated an innocent tone. "I just help you in your fight.."

"This is just a duel, I have no intention of hurting Lee."

"Tsk.. These petty emotions of yours.. You used to never second guess your instinct, and just strike down whoever was attacking you. You're becoming weak", the Kyuubi frowned. "You used to kill without a second thought."

"Because of you, I sense the malice in others", Naruto retorted. "So unless you have completely lost it you know Lee does not mean to kill me. Hell, he barely even has any darkness in his heart at all!"

"Who cares.. He's just a human. That makes him scum by default. I thought you finally got yourself over those lousy sentiments."

"I don't care", Naruto said, grimly. "Even if I am different. Even if people do see me as a monster. I will not act like one! I will walk my own path, not what others will expect me to do. So keep out of my fight!"

* * *

The chakra from the Kyuubi had mostly shielded Naruto from the impact, and because of it Lee also got out with relatively little damage. In the short moment of distraction from Naruto, Lee had twisted them so that Naruto would fall first. Still, the crash left Lee dazed and confused, while Naruto quickly moved away. And with all the dust blinding him, he lost track of where Lee had gone.

As the dust settled down, the audience saw both boys still standing. Hinata had seen what Naruto had done, and briefly said to Kiba and Kurenai that Naruto was still all right. Even though her voice betrayed the fear she just felt.

But the impact had taken a heavy toll on Lee. No, not just the crash. The poor genin was out of breath, and his entire body hurt from both opening the third gate.

"Please stop Lee", Naruto said, as he saw his opponent getting up again. With the countless weight seals on his body still active, Lee was struggling to just move.

But he did not listen.

Naruto created five clones, and surrounded Lee.

Yet still he refused to give up. _'My reserves are too low.. But I have to risk it. If I lose now, I can't face Neji either'_, the frustrated Lee thought. '_Why is there still such a difference? Why?'_

"Harm gate: open", Lee groaned.

Naruto watched as his opponent regained his ability to move, but also realized that whatever technique Lee was using, it also posed a danger to its user. There was no way that Lee had crashed hard enough to sustain enough damage to excuse his previous weakness.

"Futon: explosion", Naruto and his clones growled in unison, as they all pressed both hands against each other. '_I am sorry, but if I do not stop you now, you will kill yourself._'

Struck by shockwaves from each direction, Lee was unable to escape, and left on the verge of consciousness. "I.. Will not.. Stop..", he said weakly. "Never.."

Naruto frowned, and bit his right thumb. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu", he said, pressing his hand against Lee's back.

Lee fell down to ground, as a toad appeared on his back.

A very absent-looking toad, as big as a horse, and with a silvery skin that reflected his advanced age. "Eh.. What? Where am I? Naruto-chan?", the toad asked confused, completely surprised by the sudden change of environment.

"Hi Gamazu-san, I apologize for disturbing you, but could you please restrain him for a moment?"

Gamazu looked down, surprised to find out that he was sitting on top of someone. Jiraiya almost suffocated from supressing his laughter seeing the irony of the situation. This was the only toad that had an aversion against fighting. To a degree that he had even sworn an oath to never use violence. Gamazu was more or less a professor amongst the toads, never interested in fights, and always researching some crazy new theory.

'_Fukasaku mentioned a few times that Gamazu was very interested in Naruto's fuinjutsu, so perhaps he could forgive Naruto for this_', Jiraiya thought, knowing better than most how proud and stubborn the toads were once they felt insulted.

"You want me to fight?", Gamazu asked, with both surprise and distaste.

"No", Naruto smiled. "I don't want either of us to fight, but this guy just won't give up. So if you hold him down, he is forced to give up, and the duel ends without violence."

Gamazu looked thoughtfully. "I guess sitting on top of someone does not count as a violation of my vows", the toad said with a dubious voice. "Though, I'd prefer it if you only summon me when you have issues with that fuinjutsu of yours, Naruto-chan."

Naruto bowed to the older toad. "I promise to do so next time, Gamazu-san."

* * *

Gai's jaw dropped. "Naruto has a summoning contract as well?", he asked Kakashi.

"Yeah", his rival shrugged. "Like I said, he is surprising."

"But.."

"Jiraiya-sama taught him more than just fuinjutsu", the copy ninja explained.

Gai looked shocked at this revelation, and jumped down, walking towards his student.

"Lee, you have fought well, but you are outmatched..", the jonin said with a soft voice.

Hayate nodded. "Rock Lee is incapable of continuing the fight, Uzumaki Naruto is the winner."

* * *

"Wait", Naruto said as Gai lifted up Lee. Gamazu had been confused when the fight was ended, and had returned to his home again. "Let me dispel the seals first, that way Lee-san should be able to watch the remaining fights, if he wishes to do so."

He did not add that he was surprised that Gai lifted the genin so easily.

Gai blinked, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. You have been far kinder to Lee than you should have been, considering the circumstances."

"I know", Naruto shrugged. "But exams or not, I am not inclined to hurt the few around me who treated me well. Lee has always been nice to me, so how could I have fought him with the intent to kill him?"

"Be careful that others don't exploit such kindness, Naruto", Gai warned, as the trio walked out of the arena. "And in the finals you cannot afford to hold back. It is in Konoha's best interest to show strength, while kindness will be seen as weakness in the eyes of foreign shinobi."

Naruto looked into the jonin's eyes. "People already see me as a monster, but I refuse to be a monster. I will walk my own path, with my own nindo."

* * *

"Wow…", Shikamaru for once did not seem lazy. Even Ino had forgotten her dislike of Naruto, as was clear by her looks of amazement.

"How much were you guys holding back, last time", Shikamaru asked Kiba.

Kiba shrugged. "It's not like I even know what that idiot's limits are…"

"Damn, between that insane chakra of his, and this display of skill… I wonder if even my dad..", Shikamaru frowned.

"Strength and skill alone are not enough to be promoted", Asuma assured his genin. "But I do admit I had not expected Naruto to be this skilled…"

"I tried to tell you", Kurenai smirked at her fellow jonin. Who now knew he was about to regret his new bet..

* * *

When Gai, Lee, and Naruto left the arena, they went through the doors that led towards the infirmary.

"Just put him down here", Naruto said. "It'll take me a few minutes to remove all the seals though."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun", Lee grimaced weakly. Lee seemed barely aware of his surroundings, but at least was not completely unconscious.

"Just stay still, Lee", Gai said with a worried voice. "Opening the fourth gate while being exhausted.. What were you thinking", the jonin added, mumbling.

As he said, it took Naruto nearly ten minutes before he removed the last of the seals. "That's it, Lee-san. Now take some rest.. I am sorry that you can't beat Neji during the exam."

"It is all right, Naruto-kun", Lee grinned weakly. "Neji could not have given me such a fight. I will train, and beat you next time! I promise!"

* * *

**A/N:** I had this fight in my mind the first time I thought about Naruto being a fuinjutsu master. Well, I hope you like it! I'm not too much of a fan of extended descriptions of fights, so I tried to keep it as much 'to the point' as possible. I tried to blend the original Naruto's skills and tactics in, even though this Naruto is quite different. Please let me know what you think about it. I could probably use some feedback!

Naruto's struggle with the Kyuubi is also a point of interest. Naruto will have to make a choice soon, whether he is ready for it or not..

-Z-


	24. Preliminaries pt 3: Hinata's predicament

**Preliminaries pt 3: Hinata's predicament**

* * *

To his disappointment, Naruto noticed he had at least missed one fight. When he entered the arena again, he saw two medics carrying Sakura away. With Ino quickly following after them. Sakura's opponent, the last Kumo genin, walked to the upper level. Naruto quickly joined his team, a bit uncomfortable under the curious looks all the others gave him.

"Shino defeated a stone genin, after you left," Kiba informed Naruto. "And after that, Temari defeated Choji."

"I would not like to face her in the finals," Shikamaru said with an agitated voice. "Though Choji should not have allowed himself to be tricked that easily.."

"Yeah," Kiba frowned. Akamaru moved a bit uncomfortable on the genin's head. "Though her futon jutsu's certainly gave her the advantage, even if Choji had not fallen for her feint."

"Taking away her fan seems a viable strategy if you have to fight her," Shikamaru mused.

"Last fight was a short one, between Samui from Kumo, and Sakura-san," Hinata added. "Samui uses kenjutsu like her teammates, and is fast."

"Not as fast as Lee though, that was rather insane," Kiba said with an impressed tone. "Though Samui had her.. Advantages… As well," Kiba smirked, before he groaned when Kurenai hit him.

"Sorry sensei," Kiba smiled, not regretting a word. Naruto looked around and saw the blonde girl next to Yugito. Naruto immediately knew what Kiba meant, when he saw the genin who was rather well shaped, even more so than her sensei.

"Damn," Shikamaru grumbled, when his name appeared. The others wished him good luck.

As Shikamaru trudged down to the arena, Tenten moved towards Naruto. "How is Lee doing?"

"Lee is exhausted," Naruto admitted. "But he should be fine after taking some rest. It just took me some time to remove all the seals I used on him."

"Your fuinjutsu was incredible!" Tenten said with more than a little awe in her voice. "Where did you learn all that?"

"The archive from my clan," Naruto explained. "The Uzumaki clan was known for their fuinjutsu, but after their disappearance, most of it is lost. But some of their books and scrolls were left in Konoha. Though perhaps we could exchange a jutsu or two after the exam? I saw your storage seal during your fight, and it was rather impressive," Naruto admitted.

Tenten nodded, and blushed a bit at the compliment, knowing full well that Naruto was way out of her league when it came to fuinjutsu. Hinata looked a bit worried, and hoped Naruto would be willing to teach her as well. Though, she did not know if she would have the courage to ask him.

"Begin," the heard Hayate say from below. As both Shikamaru and the genin from the hidden mist, named Chojuro, were ready to start.

* * *

Shikamaru frowned. _'Hidden mist is supposed to be ruthless place.. This guy doesn't fit in.. What is he hiding?_'

Chojuro had drawn a large sword, and had taken a stance like he was expecting Shikamaru to attack first. Not that Shimaru would do such a reckless thing.

'_Let's see. Blue hair, pointy shark like teeth, huge blade. If he didn't pull such a wimpy face, he'd look rather fearsome. But apparently he does not have the disposition to be a shinobi.. Or is it a trick?'_ Shikamaru mused, while he jumped back.

The sudden move startled the tensed genin, and he nearly took a step back. He heard his sensei growl, and looked ashamed. "I have to do it… I have to," Chojuro mumbled, as he leaped forward.

But Shikamaru saw him coming, and dodged. Chojuro wondered why his opponent smirked like that, until he tried to step back.

"You really should not charge in when you don't know what your opponent can do," Shikamaru remarked on a lazy tone. "Now then.."

Chojuro felt his arm rise, mimicking the movements of his opponent. "How.."

Shikamaru looked down at the ground, allowing his opponent to see the shadow that connected them. "I caught you, and now you lose."

Chojuro felt that he rose up his blade, and brought it down on his own head. Shikamaru, of course, did not hold a blade so the movements did not harm him. But Chojuro fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Nara Shikamaru, winner by knock-out," Hayate coughed.

* * *

"That was quite good," Kiba frowned. "Didn't think that lazy bastard had it in him.."

"His laziness can be used, with the right arguments," Asuma remarked. "Just threaten him with some training, or extra missions, and he has all the motivation he needs to pass the exams."

Kurenai looked at him. "Could you not find another way to motivate him?"

"Shikamaru? No. Choji is easy, just promise him some food. Ino is the one who has all the motivation in the team," Asuma laughed. "Too much, if you ask me. She's almost worse than… O, damn."

Asuma added that last bit when he looked at the screen.

Hinata paled when she saw she had to fight her cousin.

Naruto swallowed away his dismay. "You can do this Hinata. Show them how good you are! I believe in you.." he smiled.

She nodded, not that she seemed very convinced. Kurenai put her hand on the genin's shoulder. "Don't doubt yourself Hinata, but please be careful," she said softly.

As Hinata walked down, Kiba looked at Naruto and Kurenai. "How good is this Neji?"

"He was the top of his class," Kurenai said with a worried face. "And counted as a genius, even among the Hyuga."

"Yeah.. Lee trained very hard to surpass Neji, but until now he never managed to win a single time," Naruto added. "But that isn't the biggest problem.."

Kiba frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" Kurenai looked at Naruto as well.

"Neji.. Neji is a product of the Hyuga clan. I fear he hates the main family, as many of his family do.."

"Neji is Hinata's cousin, right?"

"Yes, Kiba.. He is. But it doesn't work like that. Neji's father is the younger brother of Hinata's father. And while she is the heir of their clan, Neji was born into the branch family, the servants of the main family."

"How serious is it?" Kurenai demanded.

Naruto sighed. "There is a lot of unrest within the clan. Some of the branch abhor the rules of the clan, and feel trapped and enslaved. In response to the unrest, the main family tries to strengthen its position."

"And increases the problems," Kurenai deduced.

Naruto grabbed the railing. "And Hinata is caught in the middle. She hates the way the branch is treated just as much, but people like Neji only look at her and see her father. Kurenai-sensei.. If Neji goes too far.. Stop him."

Naruto looked at Hinata, who now was waiting next to Hayate. Neji was taking his time, confidently walking over to them. "Or I will.." Naruto mumbled darkly.

* * *

"Remember the rules of this match. You will stop attacking when I say the match has ended," Hayate repeated. Both Hyuga nodded. "Begin," Hayate called.

"I never thought I'd be fighting you.. Hinata-sama," Neji said coldly. Though Hinata had dropped into her fighting stance, Neji did not move a muscle. As if he was completely unconcerned.

"… Neji niisan."

Hayate coughed, urging them to begin.

"Before we begin," Neji ignored the jonin."I would like to ask you to forfeit now. You are not fit to be a shinobi. Your lack of confidence is clear to my eyes. You only entered this exam because of your teammates, am I wrong?"

Hinata looked away, uneasy under Neji's gaze. "N.. No. I just.. Just wanted to change.. Do it myself.. To prove.."

Neji smirked. "As I thought, just another spoiled fool of the main house.. No, even worse. Your ability is below of that of your sister. Look at your reality. Losers are losers. People cannot change their personality or strength!"

Kiba looked as he heard the railing, which was slowly being bent by Naruto's fists.

"Looks, brains, ability, size, personality.. Everyone judges and is judged on these values. Values which do not change. It does not matter what a person wishes or dreams, these foolish thoughts only cause suffering and pain. Why don't you drop your act?"

"No.. No.. I will.. W-Will.." Hinata stuttered. She started fidgeting when Neji activated his byakugan.

"You can't fool my eyes," Neji added coldly. "Memories.. Fear of losing.. You are just struggling not to run away, because you _know_ that I am right."

Hinata got tears in her eyes. "Haven't you already realized?" Neji smirked. "Forfeit."

That was the limit.

"Shut up!" Naruto roared, unable to take this any longer. "Stop your retarded speech, you idiot! Hinata! Kick that idiot out of the ring!"

Hinata looked at her angry teammate. Had she already disappointed him? "Kick that arrogant bastard down!" Kiba joined. Akamaru barked frantically. "You've always kept us going, so have some faith in yourself!"

Neji looked back, with an annoyed face. "Typical.. Another dumb Inuzuka and the main family's dog.."

If it was not so much the encouragement of Naruto and Kiba, it had been Neji's disdain of her teammates. Hinata looked at him, and activated her own byakugan.

'_It doesn't matter what people say about me.. But they will not insult my friends!'_

"So you won't forfeit? Fine, but that is your responsibility," Neji remarked, somewhat annoyed that Hinata had found her focus again. Neji dropped into his fighting stance as well.

"I no longer.. Want to run away," Hinata said, softly but resolute. She jumped forward, and initiated a barrage of hits, which Neji all blocked or dodged.

Neji stepped back, and took the offensive. But this moment gave Hinata the opportunity to slip through and land her first hit on Neji's chest.

Brought slightly out of balance, Neji was on the defensive. Hinata continued her attack, and managed to land another few attacks. '_Seems like she got faster… But how?'_ Neji mused, somewhat surprised to see how much she, the failure of their clan, had improved herself like this.

"Yes!" Kiba smiled, "Way to go." But he noticed Naruto's serious look, and his fists squeezing the railing.

Hinata landed another hit on her opponent. At least, that is what Kiba thought, because Neji was turned away from them, obstructing their view.

"No.. What the.." Kiba exclaimed, as Neji stepped back, and Kiba saw the blood that Hinata coughed out.

"So this is what the main house can do," Neji said with his impassive voice. But he could not mask his cold fury any longer. "What a _disappointment_."

When Hinata tried to attack again, Neji simply grabbed her first and hit her arm a few times with his other hand.

As Neji stepped back, Hinata's arm was paralyzed. "No way.. You.. The tenketsu.." Hinata said with shock, as she realized the level of mastery it took to close the tenketsu so precisely.

Neji grimaced as he punched Hinata away. "Do you now see the difference? You are a loser, too blind to accept my offer to forfeit before you embarrassed yourself."

But whatever Neji wanted to say after that, he silenced when Hinata stood up again. "I will not go back.. I will never give up," she looked up, at Naruto. "I will never let my team down," she smiled weakly.

But despite her bravado, she coughed up another mouthful of blood. Neji's face was twisted from anger, and the fight became completely one sided.

No matter how hard Hinata tried, she could neither block nor dodge, and took one hit after another.

"You should have listened," Neji growled, as he hit Hinata in her face.

"I did," Hinata panted. "I heard your pain. I heard your suffering. When did you give up on _your_ dreams, cousin?"

"Stop!" Hayate shouted, as he saw Neji snap and move in with lethal intensions. But Neji was too close, and blood rained down on his khaki shirt as he lashed out with all his might…

…And Kiba caught Hinata, who now stood next to him.

Neji looked straight into Naruto's face.

Naruto had used the substitution jutsu to get Hinata out of peril. It had been his only concern.

Blood ran down his chin, but it did not matter to him. Nothing mattered any more. He felt nothing but rage. Nothing but a blinding, numbing, deafening desire to obliterate the white-eyed boy.

"How predictable, the main house's dog stepped in," Neji taunted, as he recovered from his surprise.

Naruto's arm flashed forward, and grabbed Neji by his throat.

"Maybe death will cure you of your blindness," Naruto said, as his eyes got a crimson colour, and his voice reduced to a low growl. He lifted Neji, who was now choking as Naruto's hand squeezed. "Now die.. _Human.._"

Neji tried to struggle out of the jinchuriki's grasp, but he was powerless. He felt his throat being crushed and frantically tried to break free. But somehow, the blond boy's tenketsu would not close. The boy's chakra was too strong for the Hyuga to block.

The only thing that saved Neji was that Hayate and Kakashi stepped in to halt Naruto's rampage.

"Naruto, calm down," Kakashi urged. "Now."

Naruto threw Neji away, like a ragdoll, but did not avert his eyes from the Hyuga.

"Stop this right now, Naruto-kun," Hayate said, no longer sounding sickly. "Or I _will_ disqualify you for interfering with the match of another."

Naruto still did not avert his eyes from Neji, and ignore the two adults. "You talked about fate.. But know this: your fate will be death.." Naruto said with an intensity that made Neji shiver. "And not even this slow referee or this pathetic excuse of a sensei will be able to save you."

'_What was that?'_ Neji thought confused, as Naruto turned away. '_Was he still holding back against Lee?! And why didn't the juken work? What was that monsterous chakra?_'

Not that Naruto paid any attention to Neji's grimace, as he hurried to the stairs. Kurenai and Asuma carried down Hinata, who had lost her consciousness.

* * *

"Naruto, I will wait here," Kurenai said as they stood by the doors of the infirmary. The medics had moved with haste when they noticed that Neji had damaged Hinata's organs to such an extent that her heartbeat had become erratic. "Kiba will have his match, support him. I will wait here in case the medics have any news."

"Kurenai-sensei.."

"And control your temper," Kurenai added sharply. "I understand why you did it, but Hayate could have disqualified you for interfering with another's duel."

Naruto nodded, and though he was reluctant to do so, he walked back to the arena.

* * *

"Kankuro from Suna versus Isane from Iwa," Kiba said abruptly. "How is she?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"They said she will survive, but there is a lot of damage.." Naruto said, while he tried to supress his rage.

"And you?"

"Healed," Naruto said, indifferent about his own injuries.

Tenten and Neji had moved away, keeping some distance from Naruto. Neji still felt his throat ache from the force which Naruto had used while choking him. Gaara was staring at Naruto from across the arena, barely able to keep his insanity from reaching the surface. Temari and their jonin-sensei looked very uncomfortable standing next to him. Similarly, Sasuke was staring at the jinchuriki, and Kakashi could not blame him. Naruto still radiated a killing intent which would have scared of most shinobi, regardless of their ranks.

Naruto was still too angry to properly pay attention, but he saw that Kankuro used a puppet to defeat his opponent.

Or better: Isane attacked the person who she thought was Kankuro. The moment she came close, 'Kankuro' grabbed her, and revealed that he was the puppet, while the real Kankuro emerged from the package the puppet had initially carried.

No matter how Isane struggled, she could not break free. Finally, she yielded, too exhausted to continue trying. Shikamaru noticed that Kankuro was not looking very happy, as the puppet moved with a lot of difficulty. Though Kankuro proceeded, there was no happiness to be seen.

* * *

The moment the match had ended, Kiba and Akamaru jumped down. There were only two genin left: he had to face Sasuke. Sasuke seemed as impatient as Kiba was. "You sure about that dog?"

"What is wrong with Akamaru being here?" Kiba asked aggressively.

"If you care about it, you should have left it behind," Sasuke shrugged.

Hayate shook his head. "If you two can controls your tempers, we can start, ok?"

"Fine," Kiba growled.

"Let the last match begin," the coughing jonin sighed.

Kiba was already angered because of what Neji had done, and now Sasuke had the gall to look down on Akamaru. "Here."

Sasuke watched as Akamaru swallowed a food pill. "What the.."

"He's named Akamaru for a reason," Kiba smirked. "Here we go, Akamaru."

The now red (and wild) looking dog jumped on Kiba's back as the latter crouched. "Beast effect ninpou!" Kiba growled, while Akamaru barked at the same time.

Sasuke activated his sharingan, when he saw two Kiba's standing on top of each other. Under the effect of the beast human bunshin, Akamaru and Kiba looked identical. Sasuke saw the chakra swirl around both the Inuzuka.

"Quadruped no jutsu!" Kiba shouted, as they both lunged forward.

With his sharingan active, it was easy to see where he had to go in order to dodge, block, or counter the attack. But the sheer speed that the Inuzuka displayed left only the first option open.

Naruto frowned, he had seen Kiba fight seriously a few times, but the quadruped no jutsu was new to him. But the speed was not sufficient to defeat the Uchiha, and Naruto doubted it would be a sound strategy to try to tire out Sasuke, as Kiba's jutsu seemed to consume a lot of chakra.

This was something Kiba also recognized. "Gatsuga!"

The Uchiha groaned when he was hit by one of the two tornado-like attacks.

As Kiba landed, he looked back to figure out where Akamaru had gone to, and where the Uchiha had fallen. Despite the beast effect jutsu's improvements in his senses, the Gatsuga always left him disoriented for a few seconds.

The moment where Kiba failed to keep the initiative gave Sasuke the chance he needed. With his sharingan, he looked one of the two Kibas in the eyes, and knocked him out.

'_Fifty per cent chance I get the right one. Not that it matters much.. If I only have to fight one, I can dodge and outlast him,' _Sasuke thought. Though, it frustrated him that he, a genius from the mighty Uchiha clan, had to resort to such tactics to beat a loser like Kiba. But in his current condition, he had no other choice. And he _had_ to win.

Naruto sighed, as he saw his comrade fall to the ground. Sasuke's gamble had paid off, and he was lucky to have aimed it at the real Kiba. If had been Akamaru, Kiba could have taken Sasuke down because the latter had his guard down while he used the sharingan.

"Uchiha Sasuke wins," Hayate proclaimed. Akamaru reverted to his real form and ran towards Kiba.

"I'll take him to the infirmary," Naruto said, as he landed next to his unconscious teammate. Sasuke looked at him. The person who had taken away that power he had enjoyed for a short while..

"Wait a moment," Hayate said. "To all contenders who have earned the right to compete in the third round of the exams: congratulation on passing the preliminary round! Hokage-sama," Hayate bowed to give the word to Hiruzen, who had just appeared next to him.

"The finals will be in one month," Hiruzen announced. "In front of everyone present at the central arena of Konoha, you will each show the strength of your countries. Use this one month break to heal your bodies, and train with diligence to prepare yourselves to face the opponents you have seen today. As for the matchups, these will be announced on the start of the finals."

Hiruzen nodded at Naruto, so that he could take Kiba to the infirmary. "I wish you all good luck, and look forward to see your efforts," Hiruzen concluded." He looked at Kakashi, who would have to use this time to redo the sealing technique on Sasuke.

* * *

"What happened?" Kurenai demanded, as she saw Akamaru and Naruto come close, and the latter carrying the unconscious Kiba.

"Sasuke. Kiba had to fight him in the final match, and Sasuke used a genjutsu on him to knock him out."

"I see.. I can fix that.." she said. "Release."

Kiba groaned as he opened his eyes. "What the.. Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"You lost, buddy," Naruto said softly. "Sasuke knocked you out with a genjutsu."

"Illusion? Damn.. That's cheap. Sorry, sensei," he added, realizing her speciality.

"It worked," Naruto shrugged. Kurenai had fetched a medic.

"Take him with you and give him some time to rest and recover."

"Yes, Kurenai-sama," the medic replied.

As Kiba and Akamaru left, Naruto turned towards his sensei. "Anything on Hinata?" he asked with worry.

"Not yet.." Kurenai sighed.

* * *

After a few hours, finally a medic came to them. Strangely, Jiraiya walked next to the medic.

"Kurenai-sama," the medic bowed slightly. "We have stabilized the situation for now, but lady Hyuga will need to remain in the Konoha hospital for some time, to recover from her injuries."

"Is she awake?" Naruto asked. "How bad is it?"

"She sleeps. The damage to her organs, especially her heart, was extensive," the medic frowned, not happy to be interrupted by the genin. Jiraiya nodded to the medic, who had looked at him for approval. "Though it is early to say, as it will depend on her recovery, but we doubt if she can remain functioning as a shinobi."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed weakly. Kurenai looked sad.

"Is this true, Jiraiya-sama?" she asked.

Jiraiya bowed his head slightly, and spoke with a soft and careful tone. "It is the damage to her heart, that worries me.. I'm no specialist.. But from what I see, I expect that she can live a normal live after this, but if she ever pushed her body to her limits again… It might become fatal."

"No.." Naruto whispered. "Not like this.. She gave it all she had, and this is how it ends up?" he said angrily.

Jiraiya nodded. "Though it is sad, this is how the world works, Naruto. Neji was far too strong for her. But what is worse, is that she must have seen the damage herself.. And she still continued."

Kurenai put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stopping him from responding. "Is there no doctor who can heal her?" she asked.

"Not in Konoha," the medic admitted. "There is one who might be able to do it, but she left our village years ago.."

"That is why I came.." Jiraiya added. "Naruto, the situation in Konoha is currently dangerous for you, with both foreign and Konoha shinobi who have been startled by your growth. They will try to use this month to dispose of the threat they see in you, while the greater audience is still unaware of you, to avoid a larger incident that could happen at a later time."

"What do I care," Naruto responded angrily. "Let them come.. I will kill all of them…"

"That is why I will take you with me, to retrieve the only person who can heal your teammate," Jiraiya countered.

"Jiraiya-sama.. Do you mean…," Kurenai realized.

"Yeah, she is the only one who can do such a thing," Jiraiya shrugged. "I'd rather leave her be, but this situation should be dealt with. And knowing her money issues.. She might cooperate."

Naruto looked at the both of them. "We will leave tomorrow at noon. I'll first escort you back to the Hyuga estate, gather your stuff and prepare for a one month journey," Jiraiya said.

"But.."

"We will visit your friend before we leave," he said kindly.

"Don't worry Naruto," Kurenai added. "Both Kiba and I will stay close."

"Lady Hyuga will be transported to the hospital this evening," the medic had looked a bit out of place, but decided to add something as well. "Her live will not be in danger, and we will make sure she will not exhaust herself."

Naruto sighed in defeat. "All right ero-sennin.. For Hinata's sake, I will come with you."

"Don't look like that, it's not like I won't be training you during the time," Jiraiya frowned.

* * *

All packed, and ready for his journey, Naruto left the Hyuga estate. Haruki and Ako were shocked to hear about Hinata's injuries, and how she got them. Even the normally calm and collected Haruki was visibly annoyed that one of the branch did such a thing.

"Coward," Haruki had said, his eyes angry even though his voice was calm. "That boy is a year older, and can boast a talent which the clan has not seen in decades.. And this is what he does with it?"

Ako had tried to calm him down, knowing that all this excitement was bad for Haruki's health. "No Ako, this is not something I can keep quiet about. This will only increase the dissention between the main and the branch. Even if the main clan does not particularly care about Hinata-sama, they will still see it as an insult."

Naruto frowned when he thought back at those words. Why was the main family always so unsatisfied with Hinata? Why did everyone seem to be against her? Naruto always saw his teammate train. She never complained, no matter what endeavour she had to take, she did it. On top of it, she was kind and gentle, traits that any leader should have. Just like the third Hokage.

In Naruto's eyes, she was the strongest kunoichi of his generation, though he expected that she would never believe it if he told her that.

* * *

So occupied with his thoughts, Naruto failed to spot the larger youth who just walked out of a building Naruto passed.

"Hey, look out where you walk, runt!" the young man exclaimed, after Naruto almost bumped him over.

"Sorry," Naruto said with a soft and absent-sounding voice.

"What?" the larger male stood closely to Naruto. "Apologize properly, you moron."

Just what he needed. "Get lost," Naruto growled, not in the mood to be annoyed by someone older. He already struggled to keep his anger contained after what Neji had done, and now this guy reminded him of how he used to be bullied when he was little.

The young man must have been seventeen or eighteen years old, and had a broad physique for someone of his age. Yet, despite his build, he was no shinobi. At least, Naruto did not see a head protector, nor did the young man seem to move like a shinobi.

Still, he grabbed Naruto's shoulder when the latter tried to walk on. "What's this? When did I say you could leave?" he added with a loud voice, trying to push him back. "No respect for someone without a clan?"

The young man saw that Naruto was a shinobi, and he knew that genin were not allowed to act against civilians. The young man smirked, and lashed out with his right fist.

And screamed in pain when Naruto grabbed that fist.

"I told you to get lost.." Naruto growled. He turned away, as he wanted to go to Hinata while he still got the chance.

"You should stop that," a feminine voice commanded.

Naruto turned back and saw that the bully had drawn a knife, but Hyuga Hitomi stood next to him, along with two of her guards.

"Attacking shinobi of the leaf is a crime," she added softly but firm. "You should walk away now, or I will have you brought to justice."

The young man looked at her white eyes, saw her unmarked forehead, and knew of the Hyuga's reputation for strictness. He decided to get away while he had the chance.

"You could have dealt with that in a better way," Hitomi lightly scolded Naruto.

"I apologize, Hitomi-sama," he bowed.

"I assume you wanted to visit my daughter?" Hitomi asked kindly. "She has not yet woken up though." They continued walking to the hospital, the two guards at a respectful distance.

"I know," Naruto replied. "But I have to leave today, so I just wanted.. Wanted to visit her while I can."

"I heard you are going to travel with Jiraiya-sama?"

Naruto blinked. "Haruki-san keeps me informed regarding your missions and development," she explained.

"Jiraiya-sama asked me to join him on a search for some woman he knew who would be able to heal Hinata.." Naruto frowned.

"And he wishes to take you away from Konoha," Hitomi guessed, after looking at his face. "I cannot blame him, it seems you startled my cousin quite a bit. Not to mention the rest of our clan. As well as many others in Konoha. Even the main branch is in turmoil that you found a way to block our juken."

"I don't care about them," Naruto replied, some of his anger returning to his voice. "I will make Neji pay for what he did to Hinata."

"Control your emotions, Naruto," Hitomi said with strict voice. "Though I understand your position, you should never forget who you are…"

Naruto looked down, reminded of the Kyuubi's lingering threat. But his anger was more powerful than the worry for his own life, something which Hitomi could see clearly.

"Why does it bother you so much what Neji did?"

Naruto frowned. "He was like that guy from just now.. Tormenting Hinata for things she could not help. He took out his own weakness on her… He would've killed her if I did not.."

"Naruto," Hitomi warned him when the ground seemed to tremble due to the amounts of chakra the boy generated. "Calm down.. If you cannot control yourself, you cannot enter the hospital. Such bursts of chakra are not allowed there."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Is it because he injured Hinata?" she asked, convinced that her tone would sound innocent to his untrained ears.

"I guess," Naruto admitted. "She is my teammate. My friend. One of the very few who know what I am and despite that she still accepted me."

"Do you feel like you owe her?"

"I once did," Naruto wondered if she could really read him that easily. "Because of her, I got out of that hellish environment. Because of her, the Hyuga clan took me in, trained me, taught me.. I sometimes wonder what I would have been like if I had not been able to escape the orphanages. Weak and stupid I guess."

"And poorly fed," Hitomi softly chuckled. "With your preference for ramen.."

"Yeah, Haruki often told me I would be the smallest kid of my age if I only ate bad food," Naruto grinned weakly. "So that would've made me weak, stupid, and short?"

"You would never have been truly weak." Hitomi looked at him, as the boy looked around him with some wonder on his face. She could see he reconsidered his own life. "Yet this is not something you owe the Hyuga, or Hinata," she said. "You saved my daughter, more than once, and I will always remain thankful because of that. And Haruki often says you have more than earned your place in the clan, with all the work you do."

"I just did what I thought was right," Naruto shrugged.

"When it comes to Hinata, I think you go beyond just that," she remarked. They had arrived at the hospital, and though the nurse did not seem pleased with Naruto's presence, she could hardly argue against the wife of the Hyuga's clan leader.

* * *

Naruto was shocked to see how small and fragile Hinata looked, as she was lying in her bed, asleep and connected to multiple instruments which monitored her health.

"She has not woken up yet, Hyuga-sama," the nurse said before she left Hitomi and Naruto alone. "But her condition is stable and will improve quickly, Hyuga-sama. Our only concern is the damage to Hinata-sama's heart."

The nurse bowed and left, and the guards closed the door and took their positions outside of the room.

"My poor daughter," Hitomi allowed herself a moment of weakness, as she wiped a strand of hair out of Hinata's face.

Naruto felt too sad to say anything. Not that he knew what to say in the first place. He silently vowed to make Neji pay, before he killed him.

"I promise I will find someone who can completely heal Hinata again," Naruto finally managed.

Hitomi nodded, grateful. '_And that would be that third time you saved the life of my daughter.. No, if what Haruki said is true, it would be the fourth time. And that is not even considering everything else you did for us_,' she pondered. '_Any other person would not have kept it to himself, but had boasted about it. Any other person would be crushed by your burdens… I wish I knew how to repay you…'_

They remained in silence, Naruto took a chair, while Hitomi sat on the edge of Hinata's bed. Then Naruto suddenly stood up, drawing Hitomi's attention away from Hinata as he walked towards the window and opened it.

"I'll be right back," Naruto said softly, as he jumped out of the window of the third floor.

True to his word, he returned a few seconds later, with a pale-faced Konohamaru on his back. Chie quickly followed after them.

"I sent out a clone to fetch some flowers," Naruto explained. "The nurse would not let it in, because of her," he pointed at the cat. "The clone then met Konohamaru outside, and decided to give the flowers to him, and dispel so I would know about the situation."

"I am sorry to enter like this, Hyuga-sama," the boy bowed quickly. "I will leave immediately."

"Please stay," Hitomi smiled gently. "I heard about you before, from Hinata."

Konohamaru mustered the courage to properly look at the unconscious Hinata, and his pale face got a tint of green on it as well.

"I.. I.." he stumbled.

"Hinata will heal," Hitomi assured the pale boy.

Konohamaru gave her the flowers. And nodded to Naruto, who gave him a purse filled with coins when Hitomi turned away to put the flowers into a vase. Outside, the clone had asked Konohamaru if he would be willing to make sure the flowers on Hinata's room would be refreshed regularly. '_Naruto-niichan can't do it himself, when he is on a mission, so I will do my duty_,' the determined boy thought. '_It'll be my first mission!'_

A little while after, one of the guards knocked at the door. "Hitomi-sama, Jiraiya-sama has arrived and wishes to enter."

"It is all right, let him in," she ordered. "Jiraiya-sama," Hitomi bowed.

"Hitomi-sama," Jiraiya bowed back, somewhat embarrassed that a Hyuga would act so humbly towards another, especially one of her standing. "Naruto, are you ready to go? And what are you doing here, squirt?" he added, frowning when he saw Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru helped me to smuggle some flowers in," Naruto shrugged. "And yes.." he sighed, "I am ready to leave."

"Good," Jiraiya added on a grim tone. "Hitomi-sama, we will return within the month. Please make sure Hinata does not get stressed too much. I've arranged that Hinata's sensei and teammate will keep an eye out for her safety as well. Kiba will be brought to the room next to us, under the pretence that he received injury during the exams as well."

"I'll stick around too.." Chie mumbled softly.

"And the other.. Issue?" Naruto asked. He did not want to mention Gaara to the others.

"Several jonin have been called back to Konoha, and Yugito has also sworn to help defending Konoha regarding this case," Jiraiya replied. "Konoha will be guarded during our absence."

"Do you think Tsunade-sama will remain in Konoha, after you brought her here?" Hitomi asked.

Jiraiya blinked. Though he figured he should not have been surprised, as she had always been exceedingly sharp. "I do not know what my former teammate is planning, but I hope that she is willing to stay during the remainder of the exam."

Hitomi nodded, understanding that, even if she would not be willing to take action, the presence of two of the sannin would be enough to scare of most attackers. Hitomi had seen an unusual degree of agitation due to the exams, though she did not completely know what was going on, it seemed like there was a plot involving the last of the sannin. "Then I wish the two of you good luck. For the sake of Konoha.. But even more for the sake of my daughter."

"We will make sure of it," Naruto promised with a harsh voice. "Even if we have to drag her back to Konoha, she _will_ heal Hinata."

Chie jumped up on Naruto's shoulder, and whispered. "Don't worry about your girl, two-leg. I'll stay and guard her. No treacherous two-leg will get near her, this I swear."

"Thanks, Chie," he petted her on her head.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Tsunade will return sooner than expected. Might have some different effects as well, for how the storyline will deviate from the manga. I did not, however, want to change too much about the Neji vs Hinata fight, as these results of this will come to play a more important role later on.

Thank you all for your reviews, they certainly make writing feel rewarding!

-Z-


	25. Tsunade retrieval

**Tsunade retrieval**

* * *

"So.. Ero-sennin, who is this woman we are looking for? Not just some genius doctor, I take it?", Naruto asked when he and Jiriaya had left Konoha.

"Ahh.. How should I answer that one..", Jiriaya frowned. "She was my teammate, all the way back from when I was a genin."

"Just like that snake?"

"Yes, Orochimaru was our teammate. And Hokage-sama was our sensei", Jiraiya nodded. "Eventually the three of us grew out to become quite strong and our fame grew along. There were wars going on in that time.. That's when we got our nickname."

Jiraiya smiled when he thought back at those times. "As for Tsunade.. Her strength is comparable to my own. Besides that, she is known as the world's best medical-nin. Some say she cheats death", he laughed.

"She is that good?"

"No, unfortunately people will always die, Naruto", Jiraiya sighed. "But she can do far more than any other doctor in Konoha. She will be able to heal Hinata, if we can get her back."

"Why did she abandon Konoha?"

"Some people died.. She could not save them, and became frustrated. Traumatized", Jiraiya answered, carefully. "Though she did not actually abandon Konoha, as a missing-nin, she did get permission to take an extended leave. For a period as long as she wanted, on several conditions. Which basically means that she is on retirement."

"So how do we convince her to go back? And how do we even find her?"

"Well, one of the conditions was that she should stay in the country of Fire. Though I do not intend to cover the entire area.. It is not needed, as I have a general idea of where she is. I am known for my information network, you know?"

"I thought that only covered your perverted activities, like those poorly written books of yours", Naruto frowned.

"There will be a day when you realize my genius writing skills", Jiraiya replied with some faked outrage. "And then I will not give you a signed copy."

Naruto laughed. "Just tell me where to go, o Almighty Pervert."

* * *

"A break already?", Naruto frowned. "We just left an hour ago."

"I arranged a third team member for this mission, and we will meet on this spot", Jiraiya replied. "So while we wait… How did you training go? Gamakichi said you struggled with the third step now."

Jiraiya sat down on a log. Apparently, a large storm had hit this area earlier that year, as many tries in that part of the forest were uprooted.

"Second phase was a bit odd, because I had to move the air inside the ball, instead of the water. But with some help from Hinata.. I managed to blow up that ball as well. Actually, the rotation was more difficult than applying to force needed to burst it", Naruto added.

"And the third step?"

"Well.. It is more difficult, because it constantly blows up. Or if I don't put in enough chakra, it dissolves", Naruto admitted. "Keeping a balance between power and stability seems to be the trick, but I did not have enough time to practice, with the chunin-exams coming up."

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully, though he did not want to reveal how impressed he was with the genin's progress, he decided it was best to inform Naruto. "These exercises are the basic of a A-rank jutsu, developed by the fourth Hokage", Jiraiya said. "He named it the rasengan."

"The fourth?", Naruto frowned. "Why did you.."

"The fourth was my student", Jiraiya cut him off. "And he taught me that jutsu."

"Why the face?", Jiraiya added when he looked at Naruto.

"You thought that bastard fuinjutsu too?", Naruto scowled.

Jiraiya sighed. "You still blame him for what he did to you?"

"This", Naruto pointed at his stomach, "Is pretty hard to ignore, isn't it?"

"I told you, the fourth had no other option..", Jiraiya said softly. "He was about the most kind and gentle person I've known.. Not the kind who did something like that without reason. I've explained how you were the only person around who was capable of the task, right?"

Though reluctant, Naruto nodded. "Well then, just continue with the third step for now", Jiraiya changed subjects on a clear tone, "And how is your study in fuinjutsu going?"

"Basically, pretty good", Naruto said with some pride. "I've improved the infernal seal, and found new ways to attach seals to other people by using kage bunshin."

"I saw that", Jiraiya said with some enthusiasm. "You embedded those weight seals in the bunshin, and when Lee touched them, the seal got stuck to him."

"Yeah, that's the basics of it. The moment the bunshin is hit, it puts all of its remaining chakra into the area which is hit and applies the seal on whatever hits it. So it only works with taijutsu. And I can only do this with simple seals, because of the response time."

"Every jutsu has its limitations", Jiraiya said, "But still, it is a pretty impressive combination."

"There are a few harder ones.. I know I have wind and fire affinities, so I focus on the fuinjutsu requiring either those or pure chakra", Naruto frowned. "But this one is still virtually impossible for me: the flying thunder god, or hiraishin no jutsu. The description and theory from the book say that it is an awesome jutsu.. But even though I have spent a lot of time on training it, I just can't get it right."

"Ero-sennin?", Naruto asked in surprise, when he, after a moment of silence, noticed the perplexed look on Jiraiya's face.

"You tried to learn the hiraishin no jutsu? How?", Jiraiya managed to say.

"One of the scrolls had a book sealed inside it, I found it last year or so. Really complex seal, but even though I know for sure I created it the right way, it is still extremely inaccurate.."

"Was it hard for you to create that seal?"

Naruto thought deeply. "Yeah.. At first it was nearly impossible, how so?"

"Naruto.. The basics of that jutsu.. It requires raiton mastery."

"Lightning? But the book.."

"It was a notebook, not meant for teaching others, was it?", Jiraiya guessed. "Well.. A lot of the Uzumaki scrolls are a mess, so it isn't really surprising you didn't notice. Seems like you inherited that lack of systematic thinking from your clan.."

"A notebook? But wait.. Does that mean I messed up the seal because I put ordinary chakra in it, instead of lightning?"

"The jutsu works with ordinary chakra, but the creation of those seals can only be done with raiton.. That is why you were inaccurate, Naruto. To be honest, you should not even have been able to do that."

"Ehh..", Naruto scratched the back of his head. "So I eh.. I was training my third element or something?", he guessed.

Jiraiya rummage in his pockets, and after some grumbling in his pack as well. "Here", he finally said, handing Naruto a handful of chakra papers. "Charge it with the same kind of chakra as you use for the hiraishin seals."

The first attempts only split or burned the papers, but the eleventh piece of paper wrinkled.

Jiraiya whistled, impressed. "You sure are one crazy kid."

"What?", Naruto failed to understand, and thought Jiraiya ridiculed him.

"Even most jonin have trouble enough with mastering two nature transformations..", Jiraiya said, his amazement now obvious to Naruto. "And you.. You unknowingly were training for a third!"

"I.. Eh..", Naruto was too embarrassed by the praise to know what to reply.

"I was thinking of helping you train the rasengan.. But I guess training your lightning nature would be easier to do while travelling. Just grab some leaves, and try to repeat what you just did with the piece of chakra paper.. Can I have those back, by the way?", Jiraiya pointed at the remaining pieces of chakra paper.

'_Impossible.. To think he is starting to learn both of the fourth's signature moves at this age. No wonder that Hyuga guardian of his has such respect of him. Stupid raw talent like this is a rare thing to see_', Jiraiya thought. '_Even without proper education Naruto would have been a remarkable shinobi. And the Hyuga only made him stronger. That Haruki was right, teaching him to control that power would be enough to make him a monster, literally, without even taking his jutsus into account.'_

* * *

While waiting for their contact to appear, Naruto dispatched a dozen clones to gather leaves and start practicing. Meanwhile, he summoned Gamazu. The wrinkly silver-skinned toad was as absent-minded as always, and it took him a few seconds before he realized he was summoned.

"Naruto-chan?", the horse-sized toad asked. "Ah, and Jiraiya-chan too?"

"Good morning, Gamazu-san", Naruto bowed. Jiraiya nodded with a smile, keeping silent because he knew the overly serious toad did not particularly like him.

"Why was I summoned?", Gamazu asked curiously.

"Jiraiya-sensei figured out why my hiraishin seals were inaccurate!"

"Ah, right, those things should have worked according to theory.. So what was the problem?"

"Well, they required raiton-mastery."

"Lightning.. Hmm let's see..", the toad mused. "That would make sense now you think about it. Use lightning to connect two points, and set up a pathway to travel on.."

Naruto could not understand what the elder toad was mumbling about, as usual Gamazu was lost on his own train of thoughts.

"But wait", the toad suddenly opened his eyes. "That would mean you were using a third element already?"

"Jiraiya-sensei says so", Naruto shrugged.

"And he didn't even know", Jiraiya smirked.

"Very interesting.. Highly impressive for a youngster like yourself", Gamazu complimented Naruto. "That would also mean you could learn the raiton-based fuinjutsu.. Perhaps I should tell Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama about your progress…", the toad looked at Jiraiya.

"That would be a good idea", Jiraiya agreed. "We are getting way ahead of schedule now, so perhaps we could start the plan a year earlier."

"I am sure they will be pleased to hear about Naruto-chan's progress", Gamazu nodded. "That would mean we would welcome you to Myobokuzan soon."

"Mount what?", Naruto asked Jiraiya after the toad cancelled his summoning.

"Mount Myoboku is the sacred place where the toads live", Jiraiya explained. "The land of the toads. In time, you will be training there, so you can learn senjutsu."

Naruto frowned. "That is what you talked about when Yugito-san spoke about ways to keep the Kyuubi under control, right?", Naruto remembered.

"Senjutsu is the reason why the Sannin are known throughout the world", Jiraiya admitted. "If you are capable of learning it, your power should expand quite a bit. But I warn you: it is extremely difficult to gather and control sage chakra. Not to mention that it is very dangerous. But that will be explained to you when the time is right. For now, we should welcome our companion. She is getting close now."

And indeed, after a minute or so, a cloaked figure appeared at the clearing where Naruto and Jiraiya were waiting.

"How did it go?", Jiraiya asked.

"I got delayed a bit", the cloaked figure answered. "Anko-san ordered me to take a detour in order to make sure I did not meet anyone else." Karin removed her cloak. "But after that, it was pretty easy to find the two of you. You both have quite a noticeable amount of chakra", she added.

"Karin!", Naruto exclaimed. Then he laughed. "Finding that Tsunade woman will be easy now!"

"Finding her is not the hard part of this mission, Naruto", Jiraiya remembered him. "The part where we convince her to go with us is.."

* * *

She was bored. So very, very bored. Her teammates were gone, training either with their sensei, or with their clan. And she, the one who failed the exam, was left behind. Alone, as even her parents were busy with their jobs.

"Typically for me to fail when I have to fight", Sakura grumbled, while she kicked a pebble away. She wandered through town, tired of her parents' patronizing. But even though her wounded body had healed, her pride had yet a long way to go.

"Hey, Billboard Brow!", someone called her.

Sakura looked behind her, and found that she had passed the Yamanaka flower shop without even looking. "What, Ino-pig?", Sakura replied, not completely unfriendly.

"Is everything alright?", Ino asked with a worried face.

Sakura sighed. "I'm fine, just bored.. Sasuke has left with Kakashi, and they didn't say a word. Shino does not talk much either, but he at least said that he would be training with his own clan. So.."

'_So I'd almost long back to the times I still had Naruto around…'_

"No training or mission, while pretty much everyone else is busy?", Ino deduced. "Yeah.. That must be boring. You know, I'll ask Asuma-sensei if you can join us. Choji helps training Shikamaru and me as well", she explained.

"Are you sure that.."

"I need a target to practice my jutsu anyways", Ino cut her off. "Him again?", she frowned.

"What?", Sakura looked at the boy who had walked towards the flower shop.

"For the last two weeks, he buys flowers every other day", Ino explained. "Hey, kid, buying flowers for your girlfriend again?", she asked loudly.

Konohamaru shrugged at the elder girl's words. "No, why should I?", he remarked. "This is my duty to niichan", he added with some pride.

"You buy flowers for you brother?", Sakura wondered.

"No", Konohamaru sighed, as if he was amazed the older girls were so stupid. "Niichan asked me to make sure she has fresh flowers", he held up a small frog shaped wallet.

"That is Naruto's wallet", Sakura recognized Gama-chan.

"You know niichan as well?", Konohamaru became more enthusiastic.

"We were his classmates at the academy", Ino explained, before Sakura would have to explain that she had been his teammate for a while.

Konohamaru nodded. "Why would Naruto ask you to buy flowers? And for who?", Sakura wondered.

"Hinata-sama is injured", Konohamaru said softly. "And fresh flowers keep that hospital stench from her room. Niichan said she loves flowers, so he asked me to take care of it, while he is out on his mission!"

Ino and Sakura watched as the boy bought a bouquet of flowers, even haggling off some of the price, something which seemed to amuse Ino's mother who helped him. The boy happily said goodbye, and sprinted off towards the hospital, though careful not to spoil the flowers.

"Konohamaru-chan sure is becoming as dependable as his grandfather", Ino's mother smiled.

"Who?", Ino asked bluntly.

"Konohamaru is the hokage's grandson", she explained.

Ino looked at the surprised Sakura. "Well, I have this morning off, why don't we visit Hinata as well?", Ino asked Sakura. "I'm sure she must be as bored then we are.."

* * *

"Wow, so many visitors for me?", Kiba smirked, when he saw the two kunoichi in the hallway. Akamaru spurted towards them, barking happily.

"What are you doing here?", Ino frowned. "Asuma-sensei told me you lost, but not that you were wounded like that.."

Kiba pointed the bandages covering his chest and left arm. "I had a little accident", he said, though he didn't seem to take it very seriously. "So I am not that lucky?"

"We brought these for Hinata", Sakura admitted, holding the flowers they brought along.

Kiba smiled. "She'll be happy with those. Did the nurse tell you how she is doing?"

"No, all she said was that we should keep it short and that we should not upset her", Ino said.

"Right, I'll go with you, but we should wait a little. Her mother and Kurenai-sensei are with her right now", Kiba said. "And the brat just left after delivering new flowers. I should have trained my sis to do such things", he laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll wait till they leave, Ko-san", Kiba said against the Hyuga guard who stood outside of Hinata's room.

"What's with the guard?", Sakura asked.

"Hinata is heir to the Hyuga clan, and her mother is it's leader's wife.. So security is to be expected, right?", Kiba shrugged.

After a few minutes, Kurenai and Hitomi left Hinata's room. "Don't worry, sensei, we will keep it short", Kiba promised, after bowing to Hitomi.

Sakura wondered how the older Hyuga managed to get such respect from Kiba, who normally paid little attention to formalities, just like the rest of his clan.

"Sakura! Ino!", Hinata said happily, though her voice was still weak.

"Hinata…", Sakura could not keep the surprise out of her voice. "How.. How are you doing."

"I.. Em…"

"Hinata has improved a great deal, but she still needs time to heal", Kiba answered for her. "That bastard caused quite some damage.."

"Please..", Hinata pleaded. "I'll be fine, Kurenai-sensei told me I was recovering faster than the doctor had expected."

"We brought some flowers for you", Ino tried to lighten the mood.

Hinata smiled weakly, and thanked Ino as the latter put the flowers in a vase, next to the new flowers Konohamaru had brought earlier.

"So.. Tell us how you got Naruto to give you flowers like that", Ino smirked.

The pale Hyuga blushed as much as she could under the current conditions. "I.. I.. I don't know", she squeaked weakly. "Naruto-kun had already left Konoha when I woke up, and Konohamaru-chan says he is just following orders, but never said who..."

"So he makes sure you get flowers but does not visit you? I knew he was shy, but that is a bit extreme", Ino said disappointed that she did not find a new scoop. "Though Konohamaru-chan said something about a mission?"

"Naruto left Konoha for training", Kiba said, somewhat annoyed by the eternally inquisitive blonde.

"Him too?", Sakura grumbled. "Men and their training.. They could at least stick to their team a bit.. Wait, Kurenai-sensei was just here, who is Naruto training with?"

"Kurenai-sensei told me that he is trained by Jiraiya-sama now", Hinata smiled faintly. "I am sure Naruto-kun will return stronger than ever. How is your training going, Ino-san?"

After a detailed description of Ino's 'suffering' with her training regime, they discussed the performance of all the others. They agreed that the genin from Suna were especially scary, Gaara especially. "Though Naruto impressed me most", Ino admitted. "That Rock Lee was incredibly fast.. But Naruto still seemed to be holding back. I really wonder where his limit lie.. It's as if he has become a completely different person", she smiled faintly.

"What?", she added, upon the look of the others.

"Naruto is..", Sakura started. "Naruto is rather exceptional as a shinobi.. I always thought Sasuke was the top of our class.. But it look like Naruto has never been serious."

"Naruto-kun trains very hard", Hinata added.

"Yeah, unlike that stuck-up Uchiha brat, Naruto was not gifted with special powers, but he works harder than any other.. And now… Aside from Gaara, I doubt there is anyone capable of fighting him", Kiba remarked, proud of his teammate. Proud enough to risk two near-deathly glares.

"Which is all the more reason for Sasuke to train even harder", Sakura sighed. "He seems to be obsessed with Naruto, especially after his defeat.."

"Defeat?", Ino asked sharply. "Is that rumour true? About the reason why Naruto left team 7? Did he really attack Sasuke-kun?"

"It was the other way around", Kiba grumbled. "Naruto doesn't attack people without being provoked.."

Sakura nodded reluctantly, and Hinata remained silent in her hospital bed. "Why?", Ino asked softly.

"Sasuke-kun.. Sasuke-kun is dreaming to become the strongest.. And Naruto just seemed to surpass him with such ease", Sakura said carefully. "It infuriated Sasuke-kun. During our mission in the land of waves, Naruto defeated someone, but for some odd reason he refused to kill that person. Sasuke wanted to do what Naruto refused, and tried to attack, even though Naruto stood in between.."

"Pretty stupid", Kiba remarked. "If you ask me, that Uchiha's pride is out of control. He was always acting like he was superior to everyone. Calling me the 'dead last' all of the time..", he added darkly, never forgetting his grudge.

A nurse opened the door, and looked annoyed. "Hyuga-sama needs to take her rest. Return tomorrow if you want, but not more than three visitors at a time."

Under the gaze of the stern-looking woman, the genin quickly left after saying goodbye to Hinata. Kiba returned to his own room, though Sakura wondered why he was there. Kiba did not move like he was injured at all.

"Ino! Sakura!", another female voice called them just after the left the hospital. Tenten walked towards them. "You've visited someone too?"

"Yes, we have just been to Hinata", Ino said. "And you?"

"I just visited Lee with Gai-sensei", the tomboyish kunoichi said. "Though Lee should be able to leave the hospital in a few days", she added with a smile. "Thank god, because now Gai-sensei is focussed on me, training has become hell on earth!"

"What about Neji-san?", Sakura frowned.

Tenten stopped smiling. "He is training with his father, at the Hyuga estate. Gai-sensei… Neji promised Gai-sensei not to lose his head over the stuff between the main and branch families.. Gai-sensei was pretty disappointed after.. You know..", she gestured in the direction from where Sakura and Ino came.

Sakura and Ino nodded. "So I guess sensei doesn't really mind that Neji trains on his own", Tenten concluded.

"Well, I sure as hell hope I don't have to face Neji in the finals", Ino remarked.

"I think that Gaara is worse", Tenten frowned. "Or Naruto… I have never seen Lee move like that, and still Naruto outmatched him like that.. Petty sad that, even after he overburdened his own body like that, Lee still lost. But I just can't believe _how_ Naruto defeated him. It was just.. Awesome", Tenten could not hold her admiration out of her voice.

"We can't all win", Sakura said, half to herself.

Tenten smiled. "Yeah, you are right! Well, I must go now, got to fetch some weapons from my dad's place before I resume training again."

* * *

"Ughh.. I wish Kiba-kun was here", Karin complained, not for the first time. "All you two can do is train, train, and train..."

"Do you miss Kiba that badly?", Jiraiya smirked, before getting another hit from the embarrassed kunoichi. Jiraiya had quickly found out that Karin was sensitive to jokes involving Kiba or Akamaru.

The joke was not detected by Naruto, who usually pestered Karin just as much as the old man did. Something which amused Jiraiya a great deal, because the genin himself was totally blind towards the affections others had to him.

"It still doesn't work", Naruto said with some frustration.

Even after Jiraiya had given him hints on how to improve the third step of his training for the rasengan, Naruto still kept losing control of his chakra. Jiraiya noticed that the Kyuubi's influence had been the root of the problem, and focussed the training on the mastery of Naruto's lightning release. Jiraiya suspected that Naruto first had to resolve the whole situation with Neji, before he could complete the rasengan.

Luckily, Naruto had more success with the lightning release, now being able to quickly wrinkle leaves within seconds, while the splitting or burning of leaves by accident occurred less.

"Well, be happy that things don't go easy", Jiraiya said cheerfully. "The more work you put into it, the greater the satisfaction will be once you have success!"

"Crazy old goat", Karin grumbled. "Well, this town doesn't seem to have any shinobi in it who are comparable to you.."

Jiraiya frowned. "Are you sure? My sources said that she was supposed to be here.."

"Well, the only person who is noticeable has chakra at the level of low jonin, may high chunin", Karin replied. "The others are all too weak."

Jiraiya scratched his chin. "Well, perhaps we should see that person.. I might be possible that Tsunade is suppressing or masking her power in order to avoid detection."

"To do that continuously ever since we arrived here last night? That would be impossible", Karin frowned. "That jonin-level person also tries to hide, but still slips up from time to time. Everyone does that."

Jiraiya remembered that Tsunade was being followed by Shizune. "I know Tsunade had one person close to her, she might have been trained by Tsunade, and be the one with that jonin-level chakra."

"Then we must seek her out", Naruto remarked dryly. "Besides, getting into a town, after over two weeks of living in the wild, would be nice as well."

Though it was against Jiraiya's nature, as he loved a little comfort, the trio had stayed out of the towns they had passed on their journey. Jiraiya thought it would be better to avoid detection. Despite the measures they had taken, Jiraiya agreed with his sensei's wish to not make their location public knowledge. With the threats that Konoha was facing, it would be better if no one knew about their exact location.

But Jiraiya believed that this was the place where Tsunade should be, the other two places had been empty, so they had to be here. No choice but to enter the town, and follow Karin's lead. The latter was very serious about it, as Jiraiya had promised that he would arrange it that she could stay in Konoha if the mission was successful. And she was quite determined to stick close to Kiba..

* * *

"Are you sure we should be eating like this, Tsunade-sama?", Shizune hesitated.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well.. We do have a lot of debts at the moment..", Shizune whispered, looking around at the expensive restaurant.

"Mehh, I finally won something, what's wrong with a little celebration? Usually bad things happen when I win, right?"

Shizune nodded. "But today was fine", Tsunade continued. "Now I am just going to drink it all away, and we leave this town tomorrow, alright?"

Even Tonton was a bit distressed by Tsunade's attitude. Even the pig recognized the woman's unrest. Even though Shizune had always been a level-headed and a rational thinker, she tended to agree with the pig.

"Tsunade-sama, why are you so agitated?"

Tsunade frowned. "Drink! You are always so serious, you should drink a little! Come on! Drink!"

Shizune shook her head, but before she could respond, Tsunade's head jerked up, and the elder woman stared at the entrance of the restaurant.

"What.."

* * *

"From this distance, I can sense two chakras, though one is masked so well I can hardly recognize it."

"Good work, Karin-chan", Jiraiya said. "Now, let's go inside before she runs."

"I hope she is worth the effort", Naruto frowned, upon hearing that the target would try to flee. Jiraiya knew how Naruto thought about running away.

"She is a great ninja", Jiraiya replied. "And a great beauty as well!"

"Ugh, if she's your age…"

The three of them entered, and found that the restaurant was quite luxurious. As it neared the time where even the establishments of this reputation would close, the restaurant was mostly empty. In the back, two women and a pig sat a table.

One looked at the door, and her face turned from a look of surprise into one of annoyance.

"Tsunade-hime!", Jiraiya called out towards the blonde haired woman. Naruto was somewhat surprised that the woman, who was supposed to be of Jiraiya's age, actually looked like she was in her early thirties. The light-skinned woman had brown eyes, and straight blonde hair. Naruto smirked that for once, Jiraiya's exaggeration was not as bad as usual. Though, this appearance was obviously not how she really looked like.

"Jiraiya", the woman replied sour.

"And Shizune is here as well, I barely recognized you!", Jiraiya exclaimed. "That little girl I once knew really changed into a beautiful young woman."

The slender woman with black eyes and hair blushed slightly at the compliment, and bowed her head. "Jiraiya-sama."

Compared to Tsunade's extremely large bust, Naruto thought that Shizune looked a little more 'normal'. Besides, the alerted look in her eyes, along with the warning from Karin earlier, gave Naruto the impression that the fair-skinned woman was dangerous.

"Keep your flattering to yourself", Tsunade snarled. "Why are you here? And why did you bring.. That… With you?", she looked at Naruto.

Karin frowned. "Are you always that rude, or only when you are drunk?"

Jiraiya tried to laugh it off, knowing Tsunade's temper was especially perilous when a large quantity of alcohol was mixed in. "He is Uzumaki Naruto", he said, putting emphasis on the 'he'. "And this is Karin, a girl gifted with a sensory ability, who we picked up while we were searching for you", he lied.

"Who cares", the big breasted drunk said bluntly. "Why are you here?"

"Me?", Jiraiya asked. "No particular reason, I'm here because Naruto needs you."

"You help him", she said, not interested. "Or sensei, or whoever. I am done."

"Someone got hurt badly during the exams", Jiraiya explained, not listening to her refusal. "And you are the only one capable of completely healing her."

"I have long stopped doing those things", she shrugged. "Not interested, just get out."

"Perhaps we should", Naruto cutting off Jiraiya, who wanted to continue in his attempt to convince Tsunade. "Jiraiya-sensei, did we really waste all that time on this old hag? She seems like a useless drunk to me."

"You just shut up, you little brat", Tsunade threatened Naruto. "Or I will do it for you."

Naruto shrugged. "You're probably too drunk to even hit me..", he said with a cold voice. "Besides, you're running away.. Why would anyone fear a coward like you?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto, calm down. Tsunade… The girl who got injured is Hyuga Hinata, the heir of her clan. If you save her, I'm sure they could help you a bit with your… Financial issues."

Shizune looked hopeful, but Tsunade scoffed. "Think you can buy me off, Jiraiya? And then what, when I fix one person, everyone will chase me again. I told you, I have had enough. I have seen too much."

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, knowing Tsunade's history better than most. But Naruto was oblivious to that, not that Jiraiya thought that Naruto would have cared if he did know.

"So you just run away? And this is one of the great Sannin?", Naruto sneered. "Pitiful. Even that Orochimaru was more of shinobi then this old Baachan is, sensei."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "What would you know about us, brat…"

"Naruto met Orochimaru during the same exam", Jiraiya cut her off. "Sensei is worried about his presence, as well as the presence of an unstable jinchuriki from Suna. Though Hinata is our prime reason we came, we also hoped that.."

"Then you thought wrong!", Tsunade exclaimed. "I told you, and that old goat himself as well, that I was done with healing, and done with fighting. Get out, and don't make me warn you again."

Suddenly she released an amount of chakra which startled Karin, Shizune, and Tonton the pig. But Naruto laughed at her. As if her chakra was a joke to him.

"Really, Baachan?", Naruto mocked her. "Trying to scare us with a tiny bit of chakra? Are you really that senile?"

"Naruto", Jiraiya said sharply.

"You damned brat", Tsunade was too drunk and agitated to restrain her anger any longer. "You could not even make me serious, even if you are a monster."

"An old woman who is too busy to run away from her regrets?", Naruto smirked.

"What do you know about regret", Tsunade growled as she stood up and grabbed Naruto by his shirt.

Though she nearly lifted him from the ground, Naruto just looked her in her eyes. "If you know what I am, you retard, you should know I have my fair share of regrets as well…", he said coldly.

"Tsunade-sama, don't.. Not here..", Shizune tried to interfere. Tsunade noticed the waiter, who was too scared to speak up.

"Fine, we'll take this outside. Now", she said as she dropped Naruto back on his feet.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, please..", Shizune pleaded.

Jiraiya put his hand on the young woman's shoulder, shaking his head. "It is no use at this point, trust me. Tsunade, I don't mind you having a little duel with Naruto.. But I will not allow you to endanger his life. So keep it together, unless you want to fight me as well", he added darkly.

Tsunade knew enough about her old teammate that he was not the type to make baseless threats. She nodded once, acknowledging his conditions.

"Don't worry sensei", Naruto said indifferently. "All I have to do is make the old bat go serious, right? You better come with us when you do", he added, looking at Tsunade.

"You really are a stupid brat, aren't you?", Tsunade grumbled. "Fine then, but if you lose, you pay me 250.000 ryo!" Shizune grimaced as she saw Tsunade's reckless gambling abilities kick in again.

In the empty alley behind the restaurant, Tsunade and Naruto stood, facing each other. Jiraiya stood next to the backdoor, while Karin and Shizune, who tightly squeezed Tonton in her arms, stood in the doorway.

"I'd rather be a stupid brat, than a coward", Naruto goaded her. Successfully, as Tsunade punched the ground in front of her, creating a large fissure in the ground.

That surprised Naruto a little. '_Impressive physical strength.. Way beyond that of Gai-sensei… Got to keep out of her hands, though she does not seem very quick_', Naruto analysed the situation.

"You know, all I ask is you saving my friend's life", Naruto said casually, wanting to create the impression that he was not impressed at all. "No need to risk your life for something like that, right?"

"What do I care about some retarded noble!"

Jiraiya slapped his own face.

Insulting Hinata was the last thing she should have done..

Naruto lost any pretence of restraint. No one would insult his friends and get away with it. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!", he growled.

Tsunade was somewhat surprised that a genin of his age could create such a large fireball, but she just smacked it away with her chakra-imbued hand.

"Futon: renkudan", the boy followed up, before Tsunade could attack. Contrary to the rather blunt fire based attack, this jutsu fired of multiple razorsharp bullets.

Tsunade dodged, and saw the attack was strong enough to damage the street substantially. Though not to the extent as the gap she just made, but she was impressed that the boy was capable of two elements at his age.

"Katon and futon?", she asked Jiraiya, looking away for a moment.

"Raiton: wave of paralysis", Naruto replied.

"Impressive, but still not enough", Tsunade shrugged, when the attack failed to reach her. Though, she noticed that she had become more careful now. '_Three elements is insane for mere genin.. What has Jiraiya been doing with him?', _she mused,_ 'Wait.. Uzumaki… No way, he couldn't be…'_

Naruto was a little disappointed that his jutsu had failed, but it was just distraction anyway.

"Fire barrier", he said calmly, activating the four corners he had just created.

Tsunade looked around. "And fuinjutsu as well", she whispered to herself. "Let's see how strong.."

To her surprise, it took her five hits to shatter the barrier, while she had to heal her own hand due to the burns she sustained. "But still not enough", she said to the frowning boy.

"Perhaps you don't really care about that girl of yours?", she taunted him.

"Infernal seal", Naruto said, jumping away from Tsunade without performing any hand seals.

But not before she saw the boy's crimson eyes. This distracted her for a precious moment. Somehow, there was a seal on Tsunade's hand, the one she just broke the barrier with. With a single move of Naruto's hand, the seal exploded, creating a small crater in the alley.

"Tsunade-sama!", Shizune shouted, wanting to step forward. But Jiraiya stopped her.

"She is fine", he assured her.

Despite the moment of distraction, Tsunade had noticed the seal right before it exploded. But it had cost her a significant amount of chakra to shield herself from the flames.

* * *

"She's not taking you seriously", the fox smirked.

"Shut up", Naruto shouted. "Don't distract me now, or do you want to get killed?"

"Idiot. You challenged her, but you are too weak to do it. Do you want that white-eyed fool to die, because you failed here? You should know you are no match for her, or that old pervert that acts as your teacher now. Not without _my_ chakra.."

"I won't fail, so get lost."

"Such anger", the fox smirked. "Perhaps I should help you a little.."

'_And with a little help, you might actually kill that big breasted cow, and fall into despair after you realize what you have just done_', the fox thought by himself. '_And taking revenge on those Senju would also be amusing.'_

* * *

Tsunade had to admit she was impressed that the brat had forced her to use that much chakra. This certainly was not a simple game anymore. She had wanted to use the boy's petulance to avoid the lecture Jiraiya had prepared for her. Of the latter she had no doubt. He always did love to lecture others. But she started to wonder if this course of action led her to more trouble than a stupid lecture.

"What the..", Tsunade whispered. As the smoke from the explosion lifted, she saw the boy standing in front of her, surrounded by a cloak made from an ominous crimson chakra.

Naruto howled as he jumped forwards, dodging Tsunade's fist, and smacking her into the wall of the restaurant.

"These levels of chakra", a somewhat dazed Tsunade mumbled. As much as she hated it, she would have to get serious. Or she might get really injured.

Naruto, now completely clad in crimson chakra, tried to hit her again.

This time, Tsunade was not holding back, and dodged the genin's fist. Catching his arm, she wanted to return him a few favours, but Jiraiya stepped in.

Jiraiya smacked Naruto on the head, while he held a piece paper in his hand. As the red chakra disappeared, Naruto fell down to the ground, unconscious.

"He is fine", Jiraiya said to Karin, who ran forwards after the fight had ended. "I only knocked him out. But I guess we should leave this place, after what you two idiots did here..", he looked at the ruined building behind Tsunade.

* * *

"How dangerous is he?", Tsunade asked. Shizune and Karin looked after Naruto, trying to speed up his recovery.

"Let's see..", Jiraiya smiled. "Large amounts of chakra, and equally great stamina. He has the determination and talent to learn fast, and had two nature affinities, and trains a third element. I'd say he is already close to the level of jonin, in terms of ability. But the origin of his strength is also a danger.."

"My grandmother was like him", Tsunade whispered. "But even she always said that it was a constant struggle to keep control."

"Yes", Jiraiya admitted, happy that his old teammate had sobered up a little. "Naruto had a rough life, and had enough reason to lose control and give into the demon's hatred.. But he did not. He has a very strong personality. Hell, I'd say he would make a great leader if he manages to shake off the anger he tries to hide."

"You're quite proud of him, aren't you?"

"Well of course. After Minato, I have never seen someone with talent like this."

"Though Minato had a better temper.."

"But even Minato was not at his level. Not at this age…", Jiraiya countered. "Naruto has been through a lot, but also grew because of all those hardships. But when he was young, he accidentally saved the heir of the Hyuga clan. They took him in, and gave him a safe place to live, despite the hatred he got from the rest of the village. I'd say that saved the kid from a far worse fate."

"The same Hyuga as.."

"Yes, Hyuga Hinata", Jiraiya nodded. "I suspect that Naruto holds a lot of gratitude towards her, and sees her as the one who saved him, rather than the other way around. In the end, they were put in the same genin team, and their bond only got stronger.."

"So that is why he went so far? I mean, he risked using its chakra.."

"Yes. Hinata suffered injuries to her heart. Though not directly lethal, it would mean the end of her future as a shinobi, as well as her position in her clan. Naruto was desperate, because I told him you are the only one capable of saving her. Desperate enough to engage an opponent of who he knew was superior to him."

Tsunade sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "Fine then.. I guess I lost that bet anyway."

"I know you swore you would stop", Jiraiya said. "And I do not ask you to fight, but your presence alone would be enough to make any opponent reconsider an attack on Konoha."

Tsunade nodded, though she did not know how to tell Jiraiya that it wasn't so much that she swore to quit, but rather that she could not fight in earnest anymore. Not since Dan… She would not be able to deal with more death and destruction.

* * *

"What is it, kid", Tsunade sighed, after she saw Naruto looking at her again. He hadn't spoken a word since they left. He had slept the entire night, and woke up early in the morning. She had the impression that he was depressed because of something, but could not understand why.

After a few moments of silence, "I must apologize, baachan", he said.

She narrowed her eyes, and Shizune quickly moved in between them. "Then why don't you stop calling me that?", she asked sharply.

Naruto shrugged, smiling faintly. "That nothing I want to apologize for. No, I lost control for a moment.. I…"

"Like I said, it was not enough to put me in danger", Tsunade boasted. "I admit that I had to take you seriously, but it wasn't like you could have killed me."

Naruto did not look very convinced. "Tsunade-sama is one of the Sannin", Shizune scolded him gently. "She is one of the strongest shinobi in the world."

"I am not stupid enough to fail to see that she was playing with me", Naruto replied pointedly. "But still, she is only a shinobi. A mere human. If the Kyuubi broke out, what chance does one human have?"

Karin exhaled sharply. So that was the secret behind Naruto's strange chakra? The legendary monster was somehow locked inside him?

"This is of course a secret", Jiraiya said looking at her. "Do not tell anyone, unless you want to risk execution.. Though you can talk about it with Kiba and Hinata, they know about it."

"Naruto..", Karin did not know what to say. Though the boy had a chakra that scared her more than anything else had ever done, he was rather friendly, even though he distanced himself from others.

"And Naruto", Jiraiya continued. "You should not overestimate the situation. With Tsunade and myself around, we will be more than able to stop the Kyuubi before he can break free."

"You still have a lot of things to learn before you can beat us, brat", Tsunade agreed. Though Tsunade did not dare to guess how long it would take for Naruto to reach their level. Probably years, instead of decades..

* * *

With Shizune carrying Tonton, the group travelled fast. Within days, they reached the vicinity of Konoha.

They decided to put up camp for the night. Karin and Shizune prepared dinner. Tsunade noticed that the two had grown pretty close in these last few days. Something which amused her a lot, as she saw the differences between the calm and reasonable older kunoichi, and the hot-headed and straightforward genin.

She took another sip from her bottle of sake, and looked at the other side of the clearing where they had stopped. Jiraiya was instructing Naruto, as the latter tried to improve his mastery of the lighting style. Naruto seemed rather frustrated that his attempted jutsu had failed during the match with her.

At first, she had been surprised about it, but after a few days she got used to the casual way the boy used the kage bunshin no jutsu. As usual, Jiraiya instructed his real body, while about a dozen clones were busy trying to wrinkle their leaves as quick as they could. The boy had claimed he could create more clones for this, but that he did not take the risk to be discovered. As if he thought she would be disappointed that he created 'so few' bunshin for this.. The look Jiraiya gave her said enough: Naruto was not even aware that this method of training would likely only be possible for a jinchuriki like him. Still, his opinion of her did not seem to change much, and he could barely muster the proper respect when speaking to her.

"So, how do you think you will do in the finals?", she asked one of the clones near her.

The clone shrugged. "I think there is only one who is equal to me in terms of power."

"That Gaara of the desert", she concluded. Jiraiya had told her about the other jinchuriki who had entered the exams. As if one was not worse enough for the other candidates, had her first thought been when she heard about it. "And that Neji you talked about yesterday?"

The clone grimaced, and then smirked. "I will allow him to think that he can fight, for a while. Fools like him need to be humiliated before they die."

"You really care about that girl, don't you", she teased the clone.

"I.. eh.."

"Don't be shy", she smirked. "Just admit it!"

"It is not like that", he said resolutely. "I owe Hinata-sama my life", he added with a formal tone. "If I had not met her, I would have remained in orphanages. Or perhaps I could have gotten a room in the barracks when I got a little older. But because of her, I have at least had some happiness.. She is one of the few friends I have. And I will never forgive those who hurt my friends."

The undercurrent of pure rage was clear to her. Jiraiya had told her about how this Neji had beaten Hinata.. She wondered if Neji would survive, or if that boy was smart enough to forfeit before the fight started. Though a Hyuga would definitely be too proud to do the latter, she guessed.

* * *

**A/N:** Quite a long chapter. And I apologize to all the Tsunade-fans, considering that I did not particularly hold back against her.. I believe the transition from drunk gambler who spends her time running away from reality to Hokage in the manga was a bit too much, so I changed things a bit. Of course, Jiraiya told Naruto a thing or two about her past, but Naruto doesn't care.. Not when.. Well, I guess it wouldn't be too much of a spoiler if I said that Naruto is rather protective..

And as always: please leave some thoughts regarding my story. I'm just a rookie, so it never hurts to know if I'm going in the right direction or not!

-Z-

PS. It seems you like Chie, so, should I make an additional chapter to flesh out her background a bit? I suppose I could create it if it seems worth the effort. Your call!


	26. Recovery

**Recovery**

* * *

Waking up after having a happy dream was always the worst. Opening her eyes to the darkness of night, she remembered where she was, and why. Even though several doctors had ensured her that she was doing fine, Hinata still felt weak. Her mother had forbidden her to use chakra. And the doctors kept their troubled looks whenever they thought she wasn't looking at them.

Even getting out of bed, and walking towards the chair, which stood barely two meters from her, was exhausting.

In her dreams, she remembered what had happened when Naruto started to live at the Hyuga estate. How Haruki, who had resigned from his position as a shinobi a few months before, now was struggling to keep Naruto under control. How he had laboured to teach Naruto proper manners.

Hinata remembered how foreign Naruto had seemed to her. An entity which stood free from all the rules and pressure people put on him. A silent and withdrawn little boy, who stood independent of all others. For someone like her, who always clamped onto her mother, and was too shy to speak her mind, the way Naruto lived in solitude was a small wonder.

How quick had it been before she had noticed she admired him. Not because her father told her that Naruto had saved her, but because Naruto had the will and mental strength that she lacked. In the years where she had been a constant disappointment to her clan, Naruto stood alone and cultivated the strength she could now see in her teammate. How long had it been since that admiration changed into something stronger?

Hitomi had tried, more than once, to get both the children to grow closer. But Hinata recalled how she was too shy, while Naruto had remained formal, even a bit distant; doing what Haruki had taught him to do when someone of the main family was near. And the more she got to know him, the harder it became for her to act naturally to him.

But now that she thought back, Hinata recollected that Naruto had never been comfortable around people of his own age. He had eventually accepted Haruki, just as he had done with Jiraiya and the Hokage himself. But most of the time, Naruto had just kept his distance.

From everyone.

Hinata sighed. '_And I never dared to get close either, always failing because I was too embarrassed.. Just another coward…'_

And the longer she had kept her distance from Naruto, the harder it had become for her to step forward. Until she thought he would abandon Konoha, that was. And now Naruto had left to train, or so Kiba and Hitomi had told her. Why was there always some reason that kept them apart?

She sighed. '_Not that it would matter.. Even if Naruto-kun saw me..'_, she blushed at the thought, '_Even if, it would be impossible… I'm expect to marry someone important, father would never even consider someone who is barely more than a clanless man.'_

She expected that her clan would be in turmoil, now that she had failed against Neji, the main family's reputation was at stake. And it could not use that the clan's honoured guest had just threatened the branch's 'champion', and defied the fighting style that the Hyuga had cultivated for centuries.

Even though Hinata knew she was useless, she was not stupid. Her mother visited her every day, but neither her father nor her little sister had taken the trouble to come see her. She had embarrassed her father, and he would likely follow the main family's stance that she was unfit to be heir..

Hinata closed her eyes again. She wanted to sleep, to dream about the time her team headed out for those ruins. She wanted to see the enthusiasm from Kiba and Akamaru, who only looked worried recently, no matter how hard they tried to hide that. She wanted to relive the cautious acceptance from Naruto towards them, and his unyielding determination. She wanted to see her sensei without a worried face, and see her as she was when she was scolding Jiraiya for insinuating something that wasn't proper. She wanted them to return to how they were on their last mission outside Konoha.

'_I wish I was someone else_', her last thoughts were, before she fell asleep again.

* * *

"Sensei", Tsunade bowed slightly when she saw the Hokage. Hiruzen had been notified they would come through the main gate, and despite the early hour, he was already waiting.

"Tsunade", the old man smiled. "I am glad to see you return to Konoha once again."

"Don't get too happy", she warned. "I am only here for a few days. After the exam, I am gone."

Hiruzen nodded, not showing his disappointment. "So you still.."

"Some wounds cannot be healed, sensei. You know that. But those are not the wounds why I am here."

"I see.. So you two had success. Is that.. Shizune?", Hiruzen eyes widened a bit. "Last time I saw you barely reached my shoulder.. And now it's the other way around! I have surely grown old", he laughed.

"Hokage-sama", Shizune said politely, as she bowed. Even Tonton bowed his head, something which amused Hiruzen.

"And who is this?", he added, looking at Karin.

"We found her while we were looking for Tsunade", Jiraiya told the lie they had prepared. "Karin has some unusual sensory abilities, perhaps she hails from some lesser known bloodline. She helped us locate Tsunade, and in return I promised her she could enter Konoha. I think she would make quite a good shinobi. Shizune even thinks Karin has the aptitude to learn the mystical palm technique, that she would make a fine healer."

"I see", Hiruzen slowly spoke, recognizing that not everything was told. "Well, if you say she can be trusted, I will trust you." He knew full well that Jiraiya was not the fool he usually pretended to be, and combined with Naruto's 'other' sense, it would have been nearly impossible for a young girl to fool them.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama", Karin said, relieved.

"Genma", the hokage called his guard to him. "You ensure Karin gets a place in to live, and that her skills and knowledge is assessed before she's allowed into the academy."

"Yes, Hokage-sama", Genma bowed slightly, and led Karin away.

"Now, shall we go?", Hiruzen gestured at the direction of the hospital.

* * *

When Hinata woke, she still felt exhausted. Though dreamless, her night had not given her much rest. Though Kiba, Akamaru, and her other visitors, tried to cheer her up, Hinata felt like she was locked away. Unwilling to open her eyes to another long day wherein she could do nothing but look at all the flowers, she turned to her side and decided to sleep another few hours. In this hopeless world only the flowers seemed to have some colour, still, the tranquillity of dreams was preferable.

But something was different this morning. There was a smell of food, mixed with the smell of the hospital and the flowers. The latter was still a mystery to her, Konohamaru brought new flowers every few days, but refused to tell her why, aside from mentioning that it was his 'mission'. And she refused to believe Ino's gossip. She didn't dare to hope for such a thing. And somewhat annoyingly, Kiba seemed to find the whole situation rather amusing.

Her half-conscious mind started to figure out why it she could smell food, and she noticed the soft sounds of someone eating.

Hinata groaned a little, as she turned around to look at the source of the sound. She spurred open her eyes. "Naruto?", she whispered with a hoarse and dry voice. "Naruto?", he looked up from his dish when she called him for the second time.

Her green-clad teammate had a small box with food from Ichiraku's with him. Hinata smiled at the sight.

"Hinata", Naruto put the box on the table, and moved towards her. "How are you?"

"I.. I'm fine."

"Not really", he said with a wry smile. "But you will be", he promised.

"Naruto?"

"I'm sorry I was away for all this time", Naruto apologized, but before she could answer, he continued. "But at least my mission was successful. Jiriaya, Karin, and I, we retrieved someone who can completely heal you", he smiled.

"So you finally came back?", Kiba opened the door. Akamaru jumped towards Naruto, demanding attention. "And why do you smell like pig?", Kiba frowned, noticing the smell.

"Ah, that is Tonton.. Her pig. And yeah, it took a bit longer than expected, but she agreed to come to Konoha", Naruto smiled while patting Akamaru. "Tsunade-baachan is still downstairs, discussing with the doc. And with Hitomi-sama, who also knew we had returned, somehow. Seriously, are mothers all-knowing?"

"Probably", Kiba smirked. "Outsmarting them is impossible. Not to mention dangerous..", he shivered a bit.

Hinata had somewhat recovered from the unexpected situation. "Tsunade-sama, the Sannin?", she realized.

"Yup", Naruto sat down and finished what was left of his food. "She's the pervert's old teammate, and they say she's the best healer in the world. In addition to being a short-tempered drunk", he laughed. "And a damn coward.."

Hinata looked a little puzzled, so Kiba decided to tell. "There is some damage that the doctors could not treat, Hinata."

"Wait, you didn't tell her?", Naruto asked.

"What damage?", Hinata sounded a bit damage. "Is it.."

"There is nothing to worry about now, Hinata", Naruto ensured her. "That bastard of a Neji damaged your heart.. But now that we have retrieved Tsunade-baachan, you will be fine!"

"That's right", Kiba added. "Though I'm sorry we kept it a secret. But we did not tell you because it is bad for you to worry too much.."

"But.. Naruto-kun… Your training.. You should not have wasted you time on.."

"I trained while travelling. Kiba is right, you know. You really do worry too much.. Relax a little. I know we are pretty much lost without you, I mean: Kiba has too much energy focus on anything, and I am even worse. But we'll manage."

Hinata smiled weakly while Kiba protested. "You are the eyes and brains of our team, Hinata-sama", Naruto added, deliberately using the honorific to make sure she knew he was scolding her. "But even so, you don't have to worry about us. Let us worry about you for a change."

"But.."

"No objections", Kiba smirked. "For once I agree with Naruto, so you lose the vote. How I love democracy in these situations!"

"You focus on your recovery", Naruto chuckled, "I'll focus on putting that Neji down."

"If he doesn't forfeit first", Kiba laughed softly.

"Why would Neji-niisan forfeit?"

"Because I nearly killed him last time", Naruto shrugged, before adding darkly, "He was lucky the jonin interfered. But he won't forfeit, he's far too stupid to do such a thing. At least, I hope so.."

Hinata was startled when Kiba told her the details of what had happened. How Naruto had pulled Hinata out of the fight, and how he had nearly choked Neji to death. What surprised her was how Naruto laconically described how Neji's juuken had struck his chest, like he hardly took it seriously. Sure, Kurenai had hinted at Naruto's actions, telling her he saved her, but this..

She knew Naruto was far stronger than she was, yet she still wanted to warn him not to underestimate Neji.

"Don't waste your breath on trying to lecture that brat, he will never listen", Tsunade grimaced as she barged into the room. "Nor does he care about who he is fighting."

"Granny..", Naruto protested, though Hinata could see he was not serious.

"How many times..", the blonde woman started to protest, the bulging vein on her forehead obvious to all.

"Told you she was short-tempered", Naruto said to Kiba. "So, will you help Hinata like you promised?", he continued with a serious and cold voice. _'Because I'll kill you if you don't..'_, he added in thought.

"I made a promise", Tsunade narrowed her eyes, noticing Naruto's sudden change in demeanour. "And I don't treat lives like I treat money. I never go back on the bets I make, brat."

Shizune couldn't help but sigh. "Will you two ever stop your bickering?", she said, before she walked towards Hinata. "You will make a full recovery, Hinata-sama", she promised the girl.

"Yeah, I was shocked those doctors couldn't even treat it themselves", Tsunade said calmly. "Perhaps it is not so bad to return here for a little while.. Those amateurs certainly need some training. Could give us a nice amount of ryo too", she mused.

"You three get out of here", Tsunade looked at the two genin and the dog. "Just go to the waiting room, this should only take an hour or so.."

* * *

"Jiraiya-sama", Kurenai bowed. She was somewhat surprised to find one of the Sannin on her doorstep, at this time in the morning. Good thing she always got up early.

"Kurenai", Jiraiya said with serious face. "We just returned this morning, and Tsunade is going to heal Hinata today."

"That is great", Kurenai replied, relieved that they had succeeded in their mission. "But why are you here?"

"I need to leave Konoha for a few days, something I need to check. I would like you to look after Naruto these last five days before the exam. He says he still wants to test something, so training him will probably won't be much of an effort, but I would like it if you took him in for these days. Keep him safe."

"What? Is this because of the Hyuga?"

"I don't know the details, but it seems there is a little unrest within their clan. Hitomi asked me to keep Naruto with me for these days, but that would be a bit difficult now", Jiraiya sighed. "So I would like to ask you to take over from me."

"It is no problem, Jiraiya-sama. Naruto is my student, after all. I could take him to the edge of Konoha for a few days, under the cover of him not wanting to be disturbed while training."

Jiraiya nodded. "Good plan. But don't get too far from Konoha.. And don't let the brat do anything stupid, like overexerting himself right before the exam.."

Kurenai smiled. "Don't worry, I'll keep him under control. Even if I have to resort to genjutsu to do it."

"Thank you", Jiraiya bowed slightly. "And be careful. Also for Naruto himself.. His anger.. I pity that Hyuga brat who pissed him off", Jiraiya frowned. '_Angry enough to charge at someone like Tsunade.. Sure, she may be far past her prime, but she is still one formidable adversary.. Yet he didn't even flinch before attacking her._'

* * *

"Thank you, Naruto", Hitomi bowed to the surprised genin. When he, Kiba, and Akamaru entered the waiting room, they saw that she was already waiting for them.

"A.. T-There is no need to thank me", Naruto said while he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "I mean, Jiraiya-sensei and Karin-chan did most of the work."

"But you were the one to convince Tsunade-sama to go with you", she countered. "And what Tsunade-sama told me about the bet… Was quite impressive… She even refused my offer to compensate her, because she lost that bet."

"What bet did you make?", Kiba frowned.

"Ehh.. Nothing much, only that I could make her fight me seriously", Naruto said casually, not waiting to sound like he bragged about it.

"You fought one of the Sannin?!"

"Well, it was just a little duel.."

"It was more than 'little'", Hitomi remarked.

"They should just give you an exemption from the finals", Kiba laughed, "Would make it fairer to the others as well, if they just promoted you right now."

"Then who would stop Gaara?"

They chattered on for a little while, but mostly waited in silence. Neither of the genin was capable of completely hiding their concern, despite their bravado. Hitomi was glad her daughter found such teammates.

* * *

"Are you sure this is far enough? This is still a training ground", Kurenai said when Naruto stopped.

"Nehh, I didn't plan to go too far from Konoha. This open space should be enough, especially for the first tests.."

They had walked towards the edge of Konoha, and Naruto had more or less told her what he needed for his test. Though she did not particularly liked his restraint regarding what it was he wanted to test. "You will see, sensei", he had told her.

"Sensei, I will create two bunshin and start my first attempt. I think it would be smart to keep a little distance.. In case something goes wrong", he scratched his chin. "Don't worry, fire doesn't hurt me, right?", he added after seeing her look.

She moved back a little, and looked on as Naruto and two of his clones sat down on the ground. They formed a triangle, with a few meters distance between them.

When Kurenai had explained her plans to him, after Hinata had woken up half a day after surgery, Naruto had first objected. Even after she had convinced him, with a little push from Tsunade helping her, he was still adamant about not wanting to go too far away. On their way to the training area, Naruto had told her why: he wanted to visit Hinata. "Hinata-chan always worries about everything, and never trusts herself. I think her defeat only made that worse. What kind of teammate would I be if I ignored her and just continued training?", he had said.

While Kurenai was lost in thoughts, waiting until Naruto would do something, Naruto had created some kind of fiery pattern on the ground. When he stood up, Kurenai shifted all her attention towards the sight. Flames rose from the lines that formed the pattern.

"Fuinjutsu: Ennetsu Jigoku", Naruto said firmly. His bunshin vanished, and his face grimaced in concentration. The flames dwindled for a moment, and a fire spread within the circular form of the seal.

Kurenai almost fell over when the small fire suddenly ignited into a raging pillar of flames. The pillar was at least as tall as a five-story building, and a few meter in diameter. The flames roared, as if the demonic voices from hell itself called out to her.

"These levels of chakra..", Kurenai whispered. "A fitting name.. Flames of hell."

"Naruto, end the technique!", she shouted. Naruto frowned, and struggled for a few seconds before the pillar of fire quenched.

Though he was covered in sweat, and looked exhausted from the strain the seal had put on him, Naruto was still somewhat surprised at her outburst.

"Why, sensei?"

"These levels of chakra are too dangerous", she scolded him. "Don't be so reckless!"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, it isn't easy, but I knew that.. Though my calculations were a little off, I guess I need to alter the seal a little to reduce the strain a bit.." Naruto scratched his chin, concentrated on the problem he just seemed to have noticed, while Kurenai was still shocked about something else.

"That is not the issue here..", she started.

"It has no escape mechanism", Naruto didn't seem to listen to his sensei. "But if I altered that part a bit, it should be easier to stop the technique.. Or would it reduce the output as well? No, not if I expanded the left quadrant, and widened the chakra conductors.."

Kurenai rubbed her head. At least Naruto was aware of the danger of the technique. Not that she understood how he managed to cancel a technique which had lacked the option to bail out..

* * *

Kurenai was surprised at the ease at which Naruto managed to tweak seals. After a few small attempts, he had created three more pillars of fire, before the genin was too exhausted to continue for the day.

"At least the last one worked properly", Naruto smiled. "The escape mechanism doesn't reduce the power anymore.. But it is a bit harder to create now."

"So that is why you added another bunshin?", Kurenai guessed.

"Yeah.. Sometimes that is the only way. Focussing on four things at once is harder than spreading my chakra over some bunshin", Naruto shrugged. He sat down on the ground, wiping the sweat from his head. He took off the shirt, which was also soaked.

"So, how did your training with Jiraiya-sama go?", she asked, noticing the exceptional quality of the mesh armour he wore underneath his shirt.

"Could've been better', Naruto admitted. "Still haven't completed the jutsu the pervert wanted to teach me.. Rasengan he called it. My chakra control still isn't good enough for it. Yet. Said I was still to angry to focus properly. But at least the raiton training was reasonably successful."

"Lightning?", Kurenai's eyes widened in shocked, after hearing him casually talk about several crazy things that should have been impossible for a mere genin. '_Hell, even most jonin would not be able to do the fourth's jutsu.._'

"Yeah, seems like I messed up while I was working on one of my seals, and it turned out accidentally was training to use raiton.. Well, it is still harder than katon or futon, but at least it works now."

"Do you realize.. Three elements…"

"I was told that the fire affinity is due to my guest. Wind is my own, and lightning is something I have trained for a while now, even though I wasn't aware of it. I'm still bad at it though. I tried to create a seal, but the book didn't say it was raiton-based, so it took a lot of work before it worked to some degree", he added after seeing his sensei's confusion.

"If you continue like this, you should ask Kakashi-senpai to teach you some new jutsu.."

"Neh, don't need it much", Naruto shrugged. "Granny Tsunade taught me a new one, because the jutsu I tried to use before was too complex for starters."

"What jutsu did she teach you?"

"It's called 'numbing hands', and basically works similar to how the juuken does: focus raiton to the hands, and it numbs the person you touch."

"That would be quite useful to support your taijutsu."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that is still a bit of my weak point. Along with genjutsu.."

Naruto lacked the precise chakra control which was needed for genjutsu, that was something Kurenai had figured out the first time she had seen him.

* * *

"Gai! Keep your distance!"

Gai, Lee, and Tenten looked confused as Kurenai rushed towards them, screaming. "What..", the green-clad jonin started.

A gigantic pillar of fire erupted a short distance from where they stood. Whatever Kurenai said, it was unintelligible due to the roaring sound of the inferno. Kurenai had seen the display of Naruto's jutsu when he used his full power a few times now, and could understand the trio's awe.

Half a minute later, the pillar got smaller, and eventually dwindled down until it could not be seen behind the bushes that stood between the shinobi and whatever the source of the fire had been.

"Naruto is testing something", Kurenai explained dryly. "Which is a bit dangerous, that's why were went to this place.."

"What.. What was that.. That thing, Kurenai?", Gai asked, no trace of his usual bravado to be heard.

"Was that fuinjutsu?", Tenten asked, with a perplexed expression.

Kurenai nodded at the younger kunoichi. "Come along, though I would ask you to keep this knowledge to yourselves."

* * *

Naruto released the jutsu, and fell backwards onto the grass. Thirty four seconds, while trying to use none of the Kyuubi's chakra. "Still too weak", he grumbled, sweating despite having taken off his shirt and mesh armour. And though his pants were fireproof, there were some spots that looked charred.

"You call that weak?!", Tenten exclaimed.

Surprised, Naruto rolled over a bit to look behind him. "Well, it didn't last very long, did it?"

"You… What would you…"

"Don't worry, I won't use the Ennetsu Jigoku seal against you", Naruto smiled. "Though, I would like it if you don't tell anyone."

"Do you plan to kill Neji?", Lee asked worried.

"He isn't going to live if I am lucky enough to meet him", Naruto admitted coldly. "But that wouldn't require such a jutsu", he shrugged. "Why did you guys come here?"

* * *

"Kurenai, what are you doing with him?", Gai asked after his two students had ran off towards Naruto.

"I did not teach him something like this. I doubt I could even teach him anything about fuinjutsu", Kurenai admitted. "He works very hard, and there is enough he has yet to learn. But that is not just it.. Naruto is simply a prodigy when it comes to fuinjutsu."

"I.. See..", Gai hesitated. "I will believe that, after witnessing the way defeated Lee, without using any jutsu that could have put Lee in danger."

Kurenai saw the look his face. "Naruto did not want to harm Lee, Gai. It was not because he did not take Lee seriously. Besides, you should know that he has to hold back most of his power."

"What does Naruto-kun plan to do with Neji? Despite his actions, Neji is still my student."

"I do not know Gai.. I begged him not to give in to hatred, but I do not know whether my words, Jiraiya's words, or even the Hokage's words will reach him."

Gai looked downcast. "Listen, Gai..", Kurenai started.

* * *

"I know what Neji did was cruel and wrong", Tenten tried. "But killing him? What good would that do?"

Naruto frowned. "As much as his attempt to kill Hinata", he replied darkly. "I do not care about what people do to me, but I will not tolerate them hurting my friends."

Lee sighed, recognizing his fellow genin's resolve. He put a hand on Tenten's shoulder, stopping her from speaking against it. "Naruto-san, if you try to kill Neji, you will only create more problems… But I doubt anyone could change your mind."

"We came here because of the promise you made", he continued. "You promised Tenten to teach her a little about fuinjutsu. And I wanted to talk about our fight", he admitted.

Naruto blinked, having forgotten the promise he had made. "Ah yes.. I totally forgot that one, sorry Tenten.. What did you want to learn?"

"Ehm.. I do not know how difficult your seals are", Tenten hesitated somewhat. "But the technique you used to defeat Lee.."

"The weight seals? They are pretty doable. The seal itself it easy, but proper usage during fights is a bit complex."

Lee watched on, not understanding a thing of what Naruto explained to his teammate, but the heavily browed boy could see the amount of effort it would have taken to learn such techniques from books and scrolls. '_So Naruto-kun is also a genius of hard work_', he concluded with a smile.

* * *

"So it you have used that seal to weigh me down?", Lee frowned. "But how did you.."

"My kage bunshin. Every clone you popped added a seal on you."

"You said something like that before", Tenten remarked, "But timing it would be impossible!"

"There was a small window between Lee touching the clone, and the clone getting destroyed. Each clone used that fragment of a second to transfer all of its chakra onto whatever hits them. Basically, I programmed them in such a way that they can only do that jutsu properly. Those bunshin are pretty weak in whatever else they do."

"That's.. Pretty smart", Tenten said, impressed.

"Nehh, it was just a thing I used because I can't figure out the gravitation seal. And I did not want to use anything too dangerous. I mean, Lee never did anything bad to me, so why would I have to burn him down, only because of some stupid exam?"

"You restrained yourself.. While I… I went too far", Lee said with a sorrowful voice.

"Well, I always knew you were fast, but those gates really caught me off guard", Naruto admitted. "But that move also caused damage to your own body, didn't it?"

"Lee has already paid the price for his mistake", Gai said, as he and Kurenai joined them. "And will train even harder to pay you back, don't you?"

"Hai Sensei!", Lee smiled.

"So.. About that storage seal…", Naruto turned towards Tenten. The kunoichi now was a bit uncomfortable to explain her seal to Naruto, whose knowledge seemed to surpass her's by quite a large margin.

And the end of her explanation, including a small demonstration, Naruto frowned. "So the lower parts… They are used to quickly draw the weapon from the seal?"

When Tenten nodded, Naruto took off his left hand guard, and drew the seal on it. Putting a few kunai in them, Naruto finished the seal. "I guess this seal will be quite useful! Thanks, Tenten. This really makes my old storage seal look stupid", he laughed.

Tenten blushed a little. "Could I.. Would you be willing to teach me more about fuinjutsu?"

"Eh?", Naruto frowned, not sure if the girl was serious. "Teach you? Erm.. Well, fine, I guess. Though there are several jutsu which belong to the Uzumaki clan, I guess that it does not matter much, seeing how I am the last of my clan."

Gai looked with some surprise at Kurenai. Not that the older kunoichi had seen this turn of events coming.

"I guess teaching you just some seals won't work though.. Better deal with the basics first", Naruto said thoughtfully. "The basic knowledge in Konoha seems to suck compared to what I've learned from the Uzumaki-scrolls. No offence", he quickly added. "Why don't we strike a deal: I teach you something about fuinjutsu, and you help me training to use weapons. Hell, even the others can join in, for all I care."

Lee looked confused. "Naruto-san, I can't.."

"Everyone would benefit from learning the basic theory", Gai agreed. "And having a sparring partner would benefit you as well, Tenten."

"Hai, sensei!", Lee bowed, though not entirely convinced that someone like him, incapable of performing jutsu, could learn much about fuinjutsu.

Tenten looked thoughtfully. "What sort of weapon do you want to master, Naruto?"

"Spears or pole arms", Naruto smiled thinking of how he planned to eventually use the Gekihoko which was sealed in his right hand. "Tridents always seemed pretty interesting to me.. And seeing how you pretty much mastered every weapon that exists…"

Tenten blushed at the compliment. "Well… I don't often use spears, and never used a trident, but we'll work it out", she smiled.

"I take it that would be after the exams?", Kurenai said.

"Hmm… Yeah, it would be a bit pointless to work on learning new fuinjutsu right now.. Perhaps I should ask if Hinata and Kiba want to join in as well..", Naruto mused. "Though, I should warn you guys that most of the seals require considerable amounts of chakra. So the more advanced jutsu will probably be impossible."

Tenten and Lee nodded, and Gai put up his thumb. "A wonderfully youthful promise, Naruto-kun!"

* * *

"You already look a lot stronger than yesterday", Naruto smiled. Hinata blushed weakly when he had looked at her inquisitively. "Do you want me to bring you some proper food tomorrow?"

"Ah.. I.. You don't need to.."

"Nonsense, the rubbish they call food in this hospital only makes people feel even worse", he smiled her protests away. "Though I should have thought about that earlier.. I could've made Konohamaru bring you some decent food as well."

"You really were the one who..", Hinata blushed, the shade of red now approximating her usual colour. "You made Konohamaru-chan buy those flowers?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, I wanted to do something, but to go out of Konoha as well. Konohamaru agreed to help you, so I lent him Gama-chan."

"Th.. Thank you", Hinata bowed her head, still annoyed she was forbidden to get out of the hospital bed.

"No problem", he smiled. "I've been in this place a few times when I still lived in the orphanage, and it almost stinks as much as the orphanages themselves. I thought some flowers would make it a bit better.. And you I thought that you once said you liked flowers", he added, somewhat uncertain.

"I.. I do! I..", she stuttered.

"Calm down", he laughed at her. "Baachan said you should be able to walk a bit tomorrow, but that you should still keep calm today."

"So fast?"

"Why not? I mean, you don't want to miss the finals, do you?"

Hinata looked downcast.

"Though if you don't want to, you should do what you want, alright?", Naruto said, thinking Hinata was still sad about her loss.

"No… Neji.. What will you do if you have to face Neji-niisan?"

Naruto frowned a bit. "Depends on what he will say, and do", he decided to be honest. "Though I suspect he is too proud to forfeit, or apologize for what he did to you…"

"Please don't be too harsh on him.. Neji.. The entire branch family, they suffer because.."

"I don't care how righteous the source of their rage is, if they take it out on someone who has nothing to do with it, I will end them", Naruto said resolutely. "If those idiots from the branch used their famous eyes for once, they would see that you would be the ideal clan leader to them."

Naruto frowned and looked away. "And this friendship thing.. No one harms my friends and gets away with it."

Though, when Naruto left, half an hour later, his resolve had dwindled a little. Hinata pleaded him not to make the situation worse. Naruto could understand that executing vengeance would only increase the problems within the clan, but he could not fathom how Hinata seemingly forgave Neji for what he had done. Or even worried about her cousin's wellbeing.

'_Perhaps I should instead admire Hinata's strength', _he mused when sprinting back to the training ground._ 'People always say Hinata is too gentle, and call it weakness… But weak people would hate the ones that hurt them. True strength is more about someone's character than it is about their actual fighting ability..', _Naruto realized, frowning when he considered how weak _he_ was.

* * *

"Getting the two of them to fight each other in the first round would be too conspicuous", Jiraiya warned the Hokage. "We don't want to offend the Kazekage, at least not before we know what he plans to do."

"You are right..", Hiruzen mused. "Perhaps it would be better to switch Gaara from the fourth to the first place?"

"So that Naruto would face him in the second round? And..", Jiraiya chuckled a bit when he saw what his sensei had done. "I am sure he would appreciate it if you gave Naruto the chance to fight _him_ in the first round."

"It is a test", Hiruzen explained. "A test to see whether we can depend on Naruto, even when he hates his opponent. If he desires to take my position one day, he will have to show the restraint and wisdom needed."

Jiraiya nodded. His sensei may have lost some of his strength on his age, but his wisdom only seemed to grow. At times, the old man was still capable of giving Jiraiya the feeling of when he was that fresh genin who had just left the academy.

Though that was also the reason Hiruzen had been able to keep the position for so long..

* * *

"Naruto!", a voice called up from behind him.

Naruto had just visited Hinata. Like Tsunade had promised, Hinata had been able to walk a little yesterday, and today Tsunade would test her, though Shizune had given away that Hinata's recovery was ahead of schedule.

On his way back to the training ground, now was halted by Haku.

"Haku! And Zabuza-'sensei' too?", Naruto smirked. Zabuza never seemed to like it when Naruto joked about his new occupation.

But the woman who stood behind them was unfamiliar. Two green eyes looked at his face, revealing a lot of curiosity. Wearing a somewhat revealing blue dress over mesh armour, Naruto thought she looked quite attractive for a woman of her age. Not that she was old, but Naruto had become a bit weary of people who looked like they were in their early thirties. Something he had to thank Tsunade for.

"Mizukage-sama, this is Uzumaki Naruto", Haku introduced him to the woman. "Naruto, this is Terumi Mei, Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure."

After a moment of surprise, Naruto bowed to the woman. "My apologies, Mizukage-sama."

"Please, no formalities", she said with a gentle voice. "So you are the genin who defeated Haku?"

"Yes, madam. Though I hope you don't want to take revenge on his behalf?", he added with a grin.

"No", the woman laughed, shaking her long auburn hair. "I came here to restore diplomatic relations, not to create more problems."

"Mizukage-sama has recently been appointed", Zabuza added. "That's why Haku and I went back.. I couldn't stand the old ways, and our new kage agreed with that. OW!"

Mei had smacked Zabuza on the back of his head. '_He can't stand my ways?'_, she thought, mishearing him. Zabuza looked quite surprised, while Haku struggled not to chuckle.

"It is rather impressive that you managed to defeat Haku", Mei continued. "Were you not using your mirrors, Haku?"

"I was at full strength, my lady", Haku replied politely.

"Well, that Gato-guy had angered me", Naruto tried to explain, "So it wasn't really fair."

Mei looked curiously. Power was not related to emotion, at least not to the extent that he could defeat Haku as smoothly as was described to her earlier. And the boy felt.. Unusual. "I see.. So I should thank you for that as well.. The shipping magnate Gato also held great influence in our country, with his demise I could solidify my position."

"He was scum, so there is no need to thank me", Naruto replied dryly.

"But I thank you nevertheless", she chuckled. "But if I may ask.. You and your sensei could have beaten Zabuza, why did you not do that?"

"Why would I?", Naruto shrugged. "His employer died, so his battle was lost anyway. If he had tried to avenge Gato, things might have gone differently. Right then, there was no reason to murder Zabuza."

Mei nodded. "I agree, Naruto-san. I wish you success in the finals, though of course not against our Haku", she chuckled.

"Thank you, Miss Mizukage", Naruto smiled. "I hope Haku and I do not meet before the final round."

Naruto bowed, and continued his path towards the training grounds.

"Interesting boy", Mei said, pleased with her title of 'Miss Mizukage'. "I think your guess is correct Zabuza."

"I highly doubt any genin would stand a chance against someone like him", he replied. "And there is another as well.."

"Do I have to forfeit against Naruto, just as I have to do when I have to face Gaara?", Haku asked.

"This Naruto is very different from what you told about Gaara…", Mei said slowly. "Naruto has his sanity, so even though a fight is probably futile, he is not as dangerous as the other one."

"You haven't seen him angry, Mizukage-sama", Haku remarked dryly, before he bowed and they continued their path. The Mizukage had to meet with the Hokage first, something she had looked forward at for quite some time.

* * *

"Sensei?", Jiraiya asked, somewhat surprised that the Hokage had called for him.

"Jiraiya", Hiruzen nodded. "Please take a seat, I wanted you to be here when our guest arrived."

"Guest? You mean the new Mizukage?"

"Yes, she arrived in Konoha today, and I figured we had several things to discuss… And I wanted your input on these matters as well."

Jiraiya nodded, and the two waited until one of the guards knocked on the door. "Hokage-sama, Mizukage-sama has arrived, and wishes to enter."

"It's fine Genma, I told you that earlier", Hiruzen sighed. "Welcome Mizukage-dono", he bowed his head to the new arrival.

"Zabuza, Haku, you two wait outside", Mei ordered.

"But, my lady..", Zabuza wanted to argue, looking at Jiraiya and not wanting to leave the Mizukage alone without protection.

"Outside", Mei repeated, with a frown.

"Yes, Mizukage-sama", Zabuza and Haku bowed and left.

"Guards.. So annoying", Mei sighed. "You mind if I skip the formalities, Hokage-dono?"

"Not at all", Hiruzen smiled. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you. Well now, might I ask why you requested me to come to Konoha earlier?", Mei asked. Hiruzen sighed and gestured to Jiraiya.

"Well.. You want me to tell the entire situation?", Jiraiya frowned, and waited till the Hokage nodded. "Well, we are currently facing a potential dangerous situation. One of the most powerful missing nins of Konoha, Orochimaru, recently attacked a few genin during the second stage of the chunin exams."

"What?"

"He claimed to have a special interest in the exams, but that is not the only thing that worries us. Orochimaru alone is strong enough to face the Hokage by himself, but we recently received information that seems to point out that he joined a band of mercenaries, named the Akatsuki. If Orochimaru acted on his own, it would have been a problem, but not something we could not handle… But him being a mercenary.."

"The worst case scenario", Hiruzen continued, "Is that he has been hired by Sunagakure."

"What?! Why would Suna break their treaty with Konoha, while their relation with Iwagakure is so strained right now?"

"We do not know either", Jiraiya admitted. "But we know that the Kazekage sent a single team to the exams, with a very unstable jinchuriki being one of the genin in that team. As said, this is the worst case scenario, but if you add things up.. A ticking time bomb being sent into the exams, a mercenary with a long history of hatred against Konoha suddenly popping up, and like you yourself just said: their relations with Iwa. I suspect that the Kazekage would figure that declaring war on Konoha would only improve their relations with Iwa, seeing how much Iwa hates us.. It would make us the common enemy."

"And a sudden attack could be the start of a war which would spread through the world..", Mei massaged her forehead. "Shit! Why does everyone also want war?"

"This is why I decided to share this information with you, Mizukage-dono", Hiruzen answered on a formal tone. "You declared you had intentions to repair the relations between Konoha and Kiri.. Our previous correspondence gave me the hope that we could perhaps work together to avoid another war."

"I.. I understand", Mei frowned. "Yes, it certainly is my desire to make Kirigakure part with its past and its former nickname of 'the bloody mist'. But I admit I had not expected a situation like this coming up.. May I ask, how did you prepare for the possibility of an invasion?"

"We strengthened our defences, and changed most of our older protocols as a precaution. We gathered nearly every chunin and jonin, so we will be at full strength if an attack would come. Beyond that, we have our own trump card to face Suna's jinchuriki", Hiruzen explained.

"And Senju Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha", Jiraiya added. "Though, she will not be present at the finals itself, she will be reinforcing our defences. So you don't have to worry that you bet on a lost cause", he sneered.

Mei laughed. "Sorry, but I had to be that blunt, I cannot carelessly risk the existence of my village."

"We understand", Hiruzen smiled. "But I would like to ask what your position in this will be. The representative from Kumo agreed to help us in case she feels threatened or if someone attacks her."

Mei chuckled. "I think I can answer your question pretty easily." She presented them a scroll. "This is my offer, Hokage-dono. Though I had written it before being aware of this situation, I promise you nothing about this offer will change, no matter the outcome of this possible invasion. As for direct aid, both me and my jonin guards will assist Konoha, and consider any attack on Konoha during the exams as a breach of the treaty between the five nations regarding the chunin exams."

Hiruzen stood up and bowed as he received the scroll with the Mizukage's proposal. "I thank you, Mizukage-dono."

* * *

Kurenai looked down upon the exhausted Naruto. "So, this was a success?"

"Yeah..", Naruto panted. "This time, the seal functioned properly, and managed to keep it up for over forty seconds without the Kyuubi's chakra, while the output was still on its highest."

"Without…", Kurenai started. "So you succeeded in telling the difference between your own chakra, and that of the Kyuubi now? Can you contain it?"

"I must. I've been able to tell the difference for a while now, but the hard part is that I still seem to draw it in whenever I get angry. It's actually just too easy.."

"So can you promise me to keep calm?"

Naruto smiled. "Probably, but I won't make promises that I cannot keep."

"How do you plan to fight Neji?", she knew he wanted to fight the Hyuga most of all. "You know many people will look at you tomorrow."

"Neji is not the problem. The only one who is a threat to me is Gaara. Well, perhaps Sasuke would be tricky, but after you taught me the basics on dispelling genjutsu.. Well, I hope that will be enough."

Kurenai remembered how quickly Naruto had picked it up, and nodded. "Performing genjutsu will probably still be impossible for you. And remember: do not look directly into the sharingan.." Kurenai knew that Naruto used the Kyuubi's chakra to disturb his own, when she tried to use genjutsu against him.

She sighed. "And Gaara? Do you plan to use this Ennetsu Jigoku against him?"

Naruto sat up, and looked seriously. "I guess it would be best if anything I do against Gaara is kept within the boundaries of the exam, but telling my sensei will probably not be a violation of any treaty between Konoha and Suna..", Naruto mused. The woman had been very kind these last few days. In all senses of the word, she was actually his teacher. Much more than Kakashi, who had only left his students to fend for themselves, this woman actually cares for her genin. Even for him. Naruto was not one to easily trust someone, but she certainly had made an impression on him.

Kurenai frowned. "I guess not.. Why?"

"We spoke to Gaara's teammate, his sister", Naruto explained. "She told us that Gaara is only the way he is because his demon's influence is too strong. The seal which should keep the demon in check is far too weak, and that's why the demon corrupted him. She also described the seal which was placed on him, after I had promised her to do everything I can to help him."

"Help him?", Kurenai exclaimed. "How? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Well.. If I could do something besides killing him, it would probably avoid a lot of trouble right? Even war.. I can think of two methods… First: I repair or reinforce his seal, but that will probably be quite difficult to do during the match. The second option would be for me to reduce the influence his demon has on him."

"How is that possible?"

"Basically, I experienced the same thing. After the Kyuubi exhausted a large amount of its chakra, it needed some time to restore from that. Seems that, because of the sealing, their recovery is somewhat slower. If I do something similar to Gaara, he should be able to regain control."

"So you.."

"I have never met someone like myself, at least not before the exams started. I don't plan on killing Gaara if I have the chance to avoid it."

"And yet you trained using this hellfire seal?"

"I do not know what Gaara's demon is capable of", Naruto shrugged. "So I need to have some kind of countermeasure if it seems to go wrong."

Kurenai could see that Naruto had thought this true, but was worried none the less. "You realize what the implications of Gaara's death would be, don't you?"

"War", Naruto said with on an even tone. "And that's why I will try to save him. But on the other hand, Sunagakure sent Gaara into this exam, knowing the risk that he might die."

Naruto stood up and gathered his things, but Kurenai noticed that her student kept a serious grimace.

"Sensei… I wanted to ask something..", he started. "I.. How would you define strength?"

"What do you mean, define?", Kurenai frowned.

"Haku.. When I talked with him, Haku talked about strength. How people need a reason, like someone or something, to be strong for."

"That sounds similar to the Will of Fire.. I think Haku would be right about it: only if people have a good reason, they can truly become strong. That is why all the kages are strong, because they fight for an entire village."

"So they fight to protect?", Naruto wondered.

"They serve their village, and act to protect the people they serve."

"And yet people think that shinobi are similar to tools?"

Kurenai nodded. "It is expected of us, that we give our lives to those why have sworn to serve. But it goes beyond just an oath. Everyone have people they care about, who they love. We fight for our families, our friends, our loved ones."

Naruto remained silent for a moment, consumed by his thoughts. "So that is why the fourth did that to me… And because of him, I became a weapon that is expected to protect a village which hardly cares about me."

"Is there no one you care about?", Kurenai said, trying to suppress the sorrow she felt.

Naruto blinked. "The old man himself, and Jiraiya. Haruki, Ako-san, Hitomi-sama and some of the Hyuga… Hinata.. And Kiba, Akamaru, and you, sensei… I guess those are my reasons to fight."

Kurenai smiled a bit, happy that her student was not as heartless as she had initially feared. Though, heartless.. _'How can I blame him from distancing himself from all the others, when all he got was the scorn of the people?'_

When he had first joined team 8, Naruto had felt rejected because he was put into another team. The fact that he had started to trust others a little, and then got rejected again had made him even more cautious of others. But slowly, and with help from Hinata, he felt that he changed again. '_Perhaps I really could lay down my life for them.. Perhaps strength is indeed about more than just fighting for myself. And dying for my friends would at least be a meaningful death. Rather that, than being consumed by that fox'_, Naruto mused. He felt the fox's unease while he thought that, and smiled. To the demon that ruined his life, the least he could do is to take his enemy down with him.

"Sensei, would you forgive someone who hurts you, someone who tried to kill you?"

"I take it you refer to Hinata and Neji?", Kurenai said. "Well, Hinata is aware of the laws within her clan, and the effect that those laws have on people like Neji. I cannot say if I would do the same thing, but I do believe that understanding another's pain is the first step to forgiveness. And forgiving people is the first step to ending hatred."

Naruto nodded, and turned away to continue collecting his things so that they could travel back to Konoha. '_Even if I cannot forgive Neji, I guess I will do it for Hinata.. At least, if Neji apologizes for what he has done. If he doesn't.. I'll make sure he never forgets he lesson..'_

* * *

**A/N:** "Let the carnage begin!"

Let's say that one of the central things of the chunin exam is Naruto's struggle with his own hatred. Well, his own, _and_ that of the Kyuubi. His actual 'darkness' has yet to be revealed. Hell, I'm even wondering if I'm not making the story too dark..

Yeah, long chapter this time. Had most of it written previously, considering I had planned out several of the politically important things that I threw into the chapter. So adding and rewriting some of the parts went pretty easily, despite the shortage of time. Still, there are a few things I've had my doubts about. **So, please leave you thoughts!**

I suppose that every writer loves to receive reviews! I'm certainly not an exception in that area ^^

-Z-

_And a few more words to get to a total of nine thousand words_


	27. Finals

**Finals**

* * *

In the end, Tsunade had agreed to let Hinata return home the day before the finals started. Her mother had told Hinata that Hiashi had been disappointed with the outcome, and that with the current situation in the clan, he thought it would be best if she did not join her parents and sister in the arena. In fact, he thought it would have been better that she stayed home, but Hitomi arranged that she could still come, even though she would have different places at the arena.

Early in the morning, Ako had come to Hinata's room to help her get prepared for the day. Though Hinata had mostly recovered, she still tired easily. "Thank you, Ako-san," Hinata said after Ako had handed her the clothes she wanted to wear today. "But why are you.."

"Hitomi-sama asked me to take you to the finals today, Hinata-sama," the brown-haired girl responded politely. "Both Haruki-san and I also wished to see Naruto's progress, so Hitomi-sama asked Hizashi-sama to arrange some seats for us."

"I… I see," Hinata said, surprised.

"Not really, Hinata-sama," the older girl smiled. "Even if I was not allowed to see, I would still have come to help you."

"Why?" Hinata frowned a bit.

Ako looked up, and both sets of white eyes looked at each other. "Because of Naruto, of course."

"Na- Naruto-kun? Wha.. Why?"

"You managed to help Naruto, so that is why I owe you. Naruto's path is.. Difficult," Ako added upon seeing Hinata's response. "He distanced himself from others, and only seemed to care about very few people. I… I know about his.. Burden. I think you are one of the reasons he could maintain his humanity."

"I- I am? Bu… But why?"

"Haruki-san once said that you have great influence on him, Hinata-sama. Naruto sees you as the one who saved him."

Hinata had difficulty understanding it. "Naruto always seems so… Strong. Like he does not need anyone, no matter what obstacle he meets."

"No person can live alone, Hinata-sama. Especially not when burdened like Naruto is. Don't be mistaken about his strength."

When Ako finished doing Hinata's hair, they walked out, meeting Haruki. Hinata was a bit troubled by the look on the man's face. Despite him being a younger cousin of her mother, he appeared be much older. His illness was obvious, but still moved with a persistent tenacity. But his worried frown was Hinata's greatest concern.

"Chie! Where are you? We're leaving!" Ako called the feline. Who quickly jumped of a nearby roof, and sprinted to Ako, begging to be petted.

"Ha- Haruki-san, are you concerned about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked Haruki.

Haruki smiled weakly when he looked at the girl's worried face. "Naruto ensured me he would be fine, when he gathered his things yesterday."

"He always says that," Ako said, pointedly. "But I know that boy called Gaara made him anxious, Haruki-san."

"Ako… Anxiety is only a healthy thing, before he enters a fight in which he might die," the older man said wisely. "I'd be more worried if he did not care about his own life."

"You both really care about Naruto-kun, don't you?" Hinata remarked. Though she was happy that they did, she wondered why. Why so much.

Haruki blinked a few times. "He was my duty, at first. But he helped me to accept what I had become.. The woman I loved died before we had the chance of getting children, but Naruto…"

"Once you get through to him, he is gentle and caring," Ako added. "People really fail to see how good he is. Both as a shinobi and as a person… I truly hope that he gets the chance to show everyone, now he must fight in the finals."

"As do I," Haruki said. "This day could cause big changes for Naruto. But we should go now, Inuzuka-kun asked us to meet him in over fifteen minutes at the park in front of the arena."

Hinata nodded, and followed them outside. She could understand Haruki, but Ako always refused to talk about why she wanted to serve Naruto. Initially, she would, just like her brother, serve the main family. Probably as Hanabi's guardian. But instead, she had begged Hitomi to reconsider. And her mother always refused to tell Hinata why, saying that it was personal. But Hinata did not have the courage to ask now.

* * *

"And I just liked you being quiet," Naruto grumbled, annoyed to be dragged inwards once again.

"Quit your whining, you pathetic brat," the Kyuubi snarled. "And tell me, what do you plan to do?"

"Don't you already know what I want to do?" Naruto asked with an annoyed voice.

"Beat that Gaara, yes," the Kyuubi growled, with his claws coming closer to the bars that separated him from Naruto. "And then what? Do you actually think you can save that brat?"

"I made a promise," Naruto shrugged. "So why wouldn't I try?"

"Why would you care?"

"Don't you already know? I am nothing like you, fox. I can feel more than just hatred. Gaara may be evil right now, but that is not his fault. He is the first being I've met that suffers from the same things I did. I mean, Yugito-san may be like me, but she managed escape her demon's control. Gaara, on the other hand, is in the exact same situation as me."

"Persistent little brat," the enormous fox turned away from Naruto. "Well then, I'll wait just wait and see."

"You'd rather want me to kill him, don't you? What is it about Gaara's demon that you hate so much?"

Though Naruto could not see the fox's face, the deep sadistic laugh shocked him a bit. "That one-tailed loser should not have been so conceited that he thinks he can face me.. This one time, brat, I'll lend you the chakra to beat that loser."

"Thanks… I guess," Naruto said, looking at the back of the silent fox. The boy was confused that the fox would offer him such a thing… "And what's the catch?"

One enormous eye opened, as the fox turned its head towards Naruto. "You filthy humans.. Don't think I am as honourless as you mongrels," the demon shouted in genuine anger, before he pushed Naruto away out of the inner world.

* * *

"Do you promise me to keep calm?" Kakashi urged.

"Yeah, I already said I would," the annoyed Uchiha answered. After the jonin had completed the seal Naruto had put on him, Sasuke had not been able to feel the chakra which he knew resided in the so-called 'cursed seal'.

After that, Kakashi had put Sasuke to training. Harsher than Sasuke had ever trained before. But the boy did not mind. In the contrary: he wanted to train even harder, but Kakashi had forbidden it, saying that Sasuke should not overtax his body so close before the finals.

"Remember, if that seal unravels, your match will be ended," Kakashi repeated. "The examiner knows of your.. Exception."

Sasuke remained silent. Annoyed that the jonin had to repeat this again, as if he was some kind of absent-minded idiot like that Naruto. But Naruto was also the reason Sasuke wanted to train so hard, and gain as much power as he could.

Naruto had made a thunderous impression during the preliminaries. Rock Lee, the genin that had easily beaten Sasuke before the written exam, had proven to be no match for his blond former classmate. Something which annoyed Sasuke more than anything, _he_ was supposed to be top of his class. And while Naruto had grown with an incredible rate, Sasuke was left behind, struggling even with the foolish Inuzuka. No matter his condition back then, he should not have struggled with that dog boy. How was he supposed to avenge his family if he was this pathetic? '_Itachi.. I _will_ surpass you!'_

* * *

After the fox had thrown him out again, Naruto continued his path. _'Must've looked odd, me standing still there,'_ Naruto mused. Though when he looked around, he wondered how much time had passed. _'Perhaps this 'inner' world has a different sense of time, just like when I entered that seal in the Uzumaki ruins?'_

'_So the Kyuubi wants to help me beat Gaara.. That goes pretty much against what the old pervert said this morning.' _Jiriaya had visited Naruto at Kurenai's place, and remembered him to keep the Kyuubi's chakra in check.

Naruto suspected that the old man feared what might happen if so many spectators saw him lose control for a moment. '_Can't blame him… They'll probably fear and hate me even more if they saw me like that. Or trust me a little when they see I am in complete control. Perhaps creating more fear is exactly what the fox wants. Though that last remark… It felt honest.'_

Consumed by his thoughts, Naruto was surprized the moment Shikamaru touched his shoulder. "Yo, Naruto, awake yet? I called you twice already," the lazy genin remarked.

"Ah.. I ehh.. Was lost in thought for moment," Naruto admitted. "How did training go? Hey Ino," he added, seeing that the blonde kunoichi had followed Shikamaru.

Ino nodded, and grimaced when she thought back at training. "Training was a hell. Don't know why, but Asuma-sensei seemed pretty desperate to make us strong all of a sudden."

"Probably another bet," Shikamaru smirked. "Sensei never learns that it is too troublesome to argue against women."

"Kurenai-sensei seemed pretty relaxed this morning," Naruto frowned.

Ino grimaced again. '_Yeah, that idiotic sensei of ours probably got lured into a trap again. He should know we can't win by now… Not against_ him._' _

"But are you ready for the finals?" Naruto continued.

"Not really," Shikamaru said bluntly. "But Asuma-sensei made some threats, so we can't even give up either.. Troublesome adults and their expectations.."

"And how did your training go, Naruto?" Ino asked, somewhat curiously. "I heard you left Konoha, what did you do?"

"Oh, there was a short mission I had to do," Naruto dodged. "But training went fine. I wonder how it'll go today though."

"Yeah.. I wish we knew who we would fight, in advance," Shikamaru grumbled. "Anyone but that Gaara would be fine.. What do you know about him, anyway?" Shikamaru added, looking at Naruto.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, trying to be innocent. "I heard we should avoid fighting him, which is pretty reasonable after what I saw in the preliminaries."

"It seemed like you knew him," Ino remarked. "Back when we had the first test."

"Knew him? No. Not really," Naruto smiled. "But his chakra is… Troublesome, so to say."

"That's what we've been told," Shikamaru looked sharply, despite his lazy demeanour. '_So he does know something.. Naruto may be silent, but he wouldn't put us in danger. So whatever he knows, it confirms that Gaara is too dangerous to fight..'_

Naruto didn't like to lie to his former classmate. After all, Shikamaru and Choji were probably the only ones who acted friendly towards him during the times at the academy. But despite his personal wishes, he could not say a thing about jinchurikis or demons. "If I were you guys, I'd forfeit the moment I knew I had to fight Sabaku no Gaara," Naruto decided as a compromise.

"You don't need tell me, I felt the chakra that guy radiated good enough to know I don't stand a chance," Shikamaru said on a casual tone. _'So Naruto plans to fight him.. And is tensed about it? All this troublesome secrecy…'_

Ino distracted them, as she saw Sasuke entering the stadium in front of them, and her shouting ended the conversation.

* * *

"So what do you guys expect?" Lee asked Choji and Sakura. They had met each other while they entered the stadium, though in Lee's case it had not been a coincidence, not that he would have openly admitted that he was following Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun will do well. I hope he wins! I also hope Shino-kun puts up a good fight," Sakura could not fully control her inner fangirl.

Choji shook his head. "Nope. I think Neji or that Gaara are way more dangerous than Sasuke is.. Though Shikamaru predicted that Naruto would win the tournament." The chubby genin took out a bag of potato chips and started to eat.

"Naruto-kun surely will," Lee nodded enthusiastically. Though he was careful not to reveal what he had seen from Naruto's training. "Neji may be a genius, just like Sasuke-kun is, but I think Naruto and Gaara have a much greater chance. Though of course I'll be rooting for Tenten," he quickly added, before the other would think he doubted his teammate.

"You sure have a great deal of confidence in Naruto's ability," Sakura frowned. She would have liked to defend Sasuke, but had to admit that Naruto simply seemed to be on another level compared to them. At some nights, during her darkest dreams, she still relived the massacre in the Land of Waves.

"Of course I have," Lee grinned. "After how he defeated me, I can't feel anything but admiration! But I will defeat him one day!"

"You'll have your work cut out for you if want to do such a thing," Choji frowned. "You know, my team practiced against team 8 just before the exams started… We were beaten before we knew what happened to us."

"They did?" Sakura was surprised. This would explain Ino's bad temper earlier, especially towards Hinata. "Shino always speaks very highly of Kiba and Hinata."

"They are certainly good," Choji nodded. "But I think we mainly lost that badly because of Naruto. Even Asuma-sensei said that he would pray that Ino and Shikamaru would not have to face him right away."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Lee frowned. "What could be better than having a fight against the strongest possible adversary?"

"Advancing to the next round, showing what you can do, and getting promoted," Sakura answered dryly. She knew the green-clad genin cared about her, as he had expressed in his own unique and awkward way, and though she believed him to be a really nice guy, she considered him to be quite ignorant at times.

'_It would seem Naruto certainly does have the best chances… He really did change a lot compared to how he was during the times at the academy. Even that Ino-pig admitted that she was impressed by him,' _Sakura mused. _'Though I would not understand why she made such a fuss of which hair colour was better.. She couldn't be serious when she said that Naruto and Sasuke were on the same level now, could she?'_

But Sakura could not deny to herself, she was deeply impressed by his ability. Frightened, but also impressed. He even fought in as a true genius during the preliminaries. Somehow, in her eyes he had gotten that same 'elite' aura as Sasuke always had. '_But with the difference that Naruto usually is nice and friendly, compared to Sasuke's brooding nature,'_ an inner voice remarked sarcastically. '_Your mister perfect doesn't act that way, while the outcast does.'_

'_Sasuke-kun had a very rough childhood, how could I blame him if he acted a bit more distant?'_ she retorted to her other self. '_And you saw what Naruto did just as well as I did!'_

'_As if Naruto had an easy time. Admit it, you only focussed on Sasuke, and ignored him. He even tried to talk to you, back in the academy days, while he never ever took the initiative with anyone else!'_

'_I know,' _Sakura sighed. '_That's probably been a mistake. But still, he is no Sasuke-kun. But if that Ino-pig switches to Naruto, I would have Sasuke-kun all for myself!'_

Her inner voice sighed, and accepted that further discussion was pointless. The biggest mistake that Sakura made, she realized, was her inability to look at other people besides Sasuke.

* * *

"Hokage-dono," Mei greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen when he approached to his chair. The woman had come early, hoping to speak to the old man before the Kazekage would arrive.

"Mizukage-dono," he bowed his head to her.

Jiraiya bowed, careful not to make any inappropriate remarks, no matter how much he wanted to, upon seeing the Mizukage's beauty again. But Hiruzen had made it clear that his usual behaviour was not allowed. Very clear.

"I'm pleased to meet you again, Mizukage-sama," he bowed.

"Likewise. I've heard a great deal about the legendary sannin. I apologize for not being fully aware of who you were earlier," she smiled before turning her attention towards the Hokage. "Hokage-dono, have you considered my proposal?"

"I have," Hiruzen smiled. "Though the formal approval and signing will happen at a later point, I would gladly accept."

"Can't say I expected a defensive alliance from Kirigakura," Jiraiya spoke, with one brow raised. "I must admit that it doesn't have much of a reputation when you look at the last treaties.."

"I am well aware," Mei sighed. "There are many things in Kirigakure that have yet to change, and I know we cannot undo the crimes of the past… But at some point we have to start. With this treaty I can take away the threat that Konoha poses to us, creating stability. And I expect that the increased trade between our nations will offset the losses we get from the missions against Konoha which we will now refuse."

"As well as it is a good manner to reduce the threat from Kumogakure," Hiruzen added. "Kumo may be stronger than we are, but not strong enough to battle against two nations at the same time."

"The Raikage is rather ambitious," Jiraiya agreed. "But they won't overestimate the ties between Kiri and Konoha… The bitter truth is that Konohagakure and Kirigakure have been adversaries for a long time, while Kumogakure has two fully trained jinchuriki at their disposal."

"That is why I insisted on coming here… When Gato got killed, a large part of the opposing coalition in Kiri crumbled. That is why I was able to risk coming here. Otherwise, it would only have given my opponents an opportunity to revert the policies I put in place. And I am glad Hokage-dono lives up to his reputation when it comes to peace," Mei smiled. "Besides, I was truly looking forward to seeing Haku fight. I've heard great things about his opponent. The last of the Uchiha… Is he truly as gifted as the nobles believe?"

"It is probably a bit exaggerated," Hiruzen admitted, suspecting from whom she heard it. "But despite all the chatter from the nobles, Sasuke is undeniably one of our most talented youths."

"Ahh, I see… Also, Haku told me a great deal about this Uzumaki Naruto. He surely turned out to be an interesting child."

"You've met Naruto?" Hiruzen frowned.

The Mizukage nodded. "Yes, I think I will be looking forward to his fight as well. Especially considering his opponent… Haku and Zabuza told me a little about what happened in the previous rounds. I must admit I had not expected to see someone like him in the exams. Though, Kazekage-dono seemed to have had the same idea. Ahh, he's finally here…"

Hiruzen turned as the Kazekage walked up towards them, and took the left seat after exchanging formal greetings. '_I had hoped it would be differently…_,' Hiruzen hid his feelings, and signalled Jiraiya. '_But I fear it is really him'_.

One of the two guards which the Kazekage had brought along answered the Hokage's look. And for a moment, the man smirked in a manner Hiruzen knew far too well…

* * *

"These seats aren't half bad at all," Kiba said as he admired the view. The stadium was slowly filling up, and he, Akamaru, Karin, Hinata, Haruki, Chie, and Ako took their places in a small box, where they had quite a lot more privacy than most of the crowd. Hitomi had deemed it unwise to let her, still weak, daughter sit in the middle of the common folk, even though she was not alone.

"I wonder when Naruto will be up," Karin wondered.

"I hope he doesn't have to face that Gaara right away," Haruki sighed.

Ako saw Hinata's worried expression. "Don't worry. He has trained hard this last month, I'm sure he will do great!"

"I pity that Neji-two-leg," Chie chortled, sitting on Ako's lap.

"He'll get what he deserves," Kiba replied with the undercurrent of anger obvious to all. "Strange that you guys didn't get seats with the other Hyuga, I mean.. You're the heir, right?"

"I.. Father was disappointed when I lost… Mother said he thought it would be best if I did not watch the finals, but mother arranged these seats instead." Hinata looked sadly at her family, who sat almost at the other side of the arena. "And it isn't exactly like I am the heir of my clan. Father trains Hanabi, not me.. Everyone knows she is more skilled than I am.."

"Nonsense," Haruki said decisively. "Being a shinobi is about more than just raw strength and ability."

"Yes.. Look at Naruto," Chie remarked. "He can't even buy clothes by himself, or so I heard."

"What?" Karin wondered, and Kiba frowned.

"Naruto has a thing for the colour orange.." Haruki sighed. "So one day, he burned another set of clothes with those crazy experiments of his, and he goes out to buy new clothes…" Ako giggled when she thought back at Haruki's response.

"I.. Lets just say that I accidentally burned that orange jumpsuit of his," Haruki grimaced a little. "Imagine a ninja in orange.. It would be pure suicide! Not that he cares. He never thinks things through. I swear those scrolls of his affect his brains.."

"Is that why mother gave Naruto-kun those clothes?" Hinata wondered.

"Perhaps.. It is hard to say what my cousin does and does not know," Haruki shrugged. He did not want to tell her that she simply made a statement: supporting Naruto, who defied the Hyuga because of Hinata. Because of her position, Hitomi could not officially support Naruto, but in her own subtle way, she still gave a clear signal to those who paid attention. And amongst the elders of their clan, there was none foolish enough to underestimate the wife of their clan leader.

Not that Karin or Kiba could understand all this. They were quickly distracted when the doors opened up, and the twelve finalists entered the arena.

* * *

Naruto felt some excitement as he entered the arena. After all the training, he would finally get the chance to show Konoha what he could do. That he was more than just a monster.

"Don't tell me you are nervous," Tenten grinned.

"Me? Only a little," Naruto admitted. "Imagine I'd have to fight you, for example," he joked.

Shikamaru looked at his former classmate, and noticed that he had looked at Gaara more than once. The secrecy annoyed him more than anything. '_Dad won't talk, but it's obvious that something big is going on.. And from the looks of it, that Gaara is at the centre of all the problems. Small wonder that Naruto is so focussed on him,'_ Shikamaru smiled a bit to himself, '_That guy always wants to solve things with force, though I doubt many know about that straightforward trait of his.. He made quite an effort of it to hide his real personality, hell even Ino couldn't figure him out!'_

"I wonder who I'll have to fight," a somewhat pale Ino said to him.

"Don't worry too much, you'll do fine," Shikamaru assured her. "But don't be reckless! Let's hope that one of us gets the chance to take revenge for Choji."

"Big plans for someone as lazy as you are," Temari spoke up, walking behind the two. "Though, I suppose that beating one of you would do as a warming up," she added with a mischievous smirk.

As they walked out, the audience started to cheer, and the anxiety of some of the genin only increased. '_Now I'll fight a real opponent_,' Sasuke thought darkly. '_This month of training should pay off..'_

* * *

"You must be tired from the journey," Hiruzen tried to start a conversation with the rather silent Kazekage.

"Not at all," the Kazekage said from under the black mask that hid most of his face. "Good thing it's held here this time, while you're still young, the trip may have been too much for you, Hokage-dono."

"Maybe it's time you decide on the fifth…?" he added, after Hiruzen smiled a bit.

"Please don't treat me like an old man," Hiruzen laughed. "I intend to do this for another five years…"

"You already have a successor waiting?"

"Perhaps.. Maybe one of those youngster below will impress me today," Hiruzen smiled. '_Yes Naruto, show me if you have what it takes..' _

"Hokage-sama, the genin are ready," Namiashi Raido bowed. Raido was one of the elite bodyguards that served the Hokage, and together with Jiraiya he acted as the guard of the Hokage today, as each Kage was allowed two guards in their box.

Hiruzen nodded at the scarred jonin, and stood up. "Well now.. Let's begin," he sighed.

"Thanks everyone for coming to the hidden leaf chunin selection exam!" he shouted. "We will now start the main tournament matches between the twelve participants who made it through the preliminaries. Please stay and watch until the end!"

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Shiranui Genma answered from the grounds. Naruto wondered why this senbon-chewing guy was here, and not Hayate, who had acted as referee during the preliminaries. '_Must be on another duty,'_ Naruto shrugged.

"On the large screen at the back of the arena you will see the match-ups for the finals. As you can see, the winners of the first and second match will face each other during the second round, as will the winners of the third and fourth, and those who won the fifth and sixth. After that, the kages will decide who will have an extra match in the third round," Genma explained. "I know this is somewhat unusual, but we got more capable genin than usual this year!"

Naruto looked behind him and couldn't supress a wolfish smile. "Neji.." he whispered. "Awesome."

"All right guys, the arena is a bit different but the rules are the same as in the prelims. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat, but if I determine that the fight is over, I'll step in and stop it, you all got that?" Genma spoke strictly to the finalists. "Sabaku no Gaara and Samui of Kumogakure, you two stay down here, the others go to the waiting room."

* * *

As the others spread through the waiting room, Temari walked up to Naruto. "You did not forget about your promise, I hope?" she whispered, careful not to be heard by the others. "Have you found a way to help?"

"I'll do what I can," Naruto whispered back. "I made a promise, and I'll never go back on my words. That said, I cannot guarantee that things won't get rough… But I'll do what I can to save him, as long as it doesn't get me killed."

Temari nodded, but quickly moved towards her elder brother as Shikamaru came near.

"How come you're so close to them?" he asked Naruto.

"What? Not jealous, I hope?" Naruto teased him. "Let's take a look. It seems like that girl hasn't forfeited yet, so this is bound to get interesting."

"So what's the deal with this Gaara?" Shikamaru looked sharply at Naruto.

"He's dangerous," Naruto shrugged. "But I'll take care of him in the second round."

That remark earned him glares from Neji, but also from Sasuke. All the participants had seen Neji's prowess, and they all knew that it would not be easy to defeat him. If it even was possible. Even Sasuke, despite his progress, doubted he could be so confident and almost carelessly state such a thing. Shikamaru frowned, knowing full well that Naruto was not to the type to make careless statements, not when it came to these kinds of things at least.

"Begin," Genma shouted from below them, and all eyes turned to Sabaku no Gaara and his opponent. Well, the opponent drew more looks, especially from the male part of the audience, as her proportions were rather.. Well developed.

* * *

'_I'll stick with the plan Yugito-sensei gave me,'_ Samui thought, as she darted around Gaara.

The boy did not move a muscle, and looked rather bored. Samui realized that he only showed a different expression whenever that genin from Konoha was around. '_Uzumaki Naruto, you peeked his interest.. Is it because you are like him? If so, this Gaara will want to conserve his chakra, so his guard might still be down.'_ Samui regretted it that they had not known about the match-ups sooner, but now she had prepared to fight any opponent, while her sensei had paid extra attention to both Gaara and the Uzumaki boy.

"_You have seen their power, so it would be foolish to fight them head on,"_ Yugito had said while they were training. "_But that does not mean they are without weaknesses. Especially this Gaara, he seems rather slow. Your main strength is your speed, so use that to defeat him. Remember, do not force him in a defensive position, he uses sand as a shield, so he'll only be weak when you can catch him off guard. Strike fast, and strike hard."_

As Samui tested Gaara's defences, she noticed that the sand protected him, even though he seemingly did nothing to control it. '_As if it was an automatic defence,'_ she realized. '_Ok, time to test sensei's theory.'_

* * *

Naruto whistled, impressed by the sudden burst of speed from the young woman. He realized now why Gai-sensei had put so much emphasis on his speed. Gaara might be a lot stronger than Samui is, but if he can't touch her, she still has the advantage.

'_Though I still have my kage bunshin no jutsu, so that trick won't be so easy against me,' _he frowned. Unless it would be someone of Lee's level of speed. He looked at Haku, and realized that this boy might be his most dangerous opponent aside from Gaara.

* * *

Samui got somewhat frustrated. None of her attacks got through that wall of sand that rose up every single time. '_This really is not cool..'_

Trying to hit him from his blind spot proved unsuccessful. Regular piercing attacks were also pointless. And to make things worse, Samui began to sweat, feeling the exertion. She knew that whenever she would stand still, Gaara could grab her and she would end up just like that moron who faced him during the preliminaries…

'_Can't see an opening… Then I'll have to gamble for it,'_ Samui gritted her teeth and leaped back. She focused her chakra to the feet, just as she was taught, and pointed her blade at Gaara.

The boy just stood there, not interested or impressed, but still slightly annoyed that she had been too fast for him to catch. He knew the expectations the Kazekage, his father, had put on him. Not that he cared.. He just wanted to offer his blood. "I'll get her for you mother," he mumbled while he started to smile. "I know you will like her blood.."

"Here goes nothing," Samui sighed. "Raiton: thunderstrike," she exclaimed.

Gaara's eyes widened when the girl suddenly disappeared, and a flash of lightning struck him from behind. She had been even faster than his defence had been, but she had failed to pierce the armour of sand he had kept up as a contingency. Still, he was thrown of his feet, and crashed hard into the nearby tree that stood in the arena.

* * *

"Flawless execution of the jutsu," Yugito mumbled. "You've really grown, Samui.. But it is not enough to beat an opponent of this calibre." Yugito was proud of Samui, but hoped that her student had the wisdom to surrender, rather than throw away her life by continuing the fight against a now angered jinchuriki.

It would be a waste for Kumogakure if such a talented kunoichi would die.

* * *

"This really is not cool," Samui panted. She had exhausted most of her chakra, and pierced her opponent's defence, but still he was unscathed. "Another layer of defence.. What is up with this guy… Not cool.."

She jumped back, nearly dodging the projectiles of sand which Gaara shot at her. The boy had stood up without any sign of injury, but his bored expression had changed. Samui shuddered when she saw the bloodlust and plain insanity in his eyes.

"There's only two ways out," she sighed, as she jumped towards the referee. "I acknowledge defeat," she shouted.

* * *

Even from this distance, it was impossible to fail to spot Gaara's annoyance that he could not kill his opponent. Not that he didn't try, but Genma jumped in.

Naruto had seen Samui's strategy, and by the looks of it, Shikamaru had done the same. "So speed alone is not enough," the lazy genin remarked.

"He had another defence," Naruto nodded. "Seems like his body was covered by sand, but I could only see it the moment she hit him. Quite impressive how fast she was.. Makes you wonder if someone like Lee could've beaten him."

"I just told you," Shikamaru said on a bored tone. "Speed is not enough. This guy has some crazy endurance. It seems impossible to me that this is just a genin like us…"

"He has his defences, but that doesn't say much about his actual endurance," Naruto disagreed.

"Rip off that armour of his, and he could be wounded," Sasuke smirked, who listened to their conversation.

"But that would require a speed and strength none of us have," Shikamaru sighed. "Well, at least I won't have to face him. Unless I manage to get too far into this tournament.. Man, what a troublesome day this is.."

"Umm… Naruto-kun?" Tenten walked up to him. "Shouldn't you go down there? Neji already left.. And please don't… Don't kill him, please."

"I already made a promise," Naruto said bluntly as he looked at the girl's worried expression. "And I will not break my word. I never do."

Tenten did not know what to think or what to say as she saw Naruto jump down with a grim expression on his face. She did not particularly like her withdraw and rather arrogant teammate, but still.. Naruto had promised to kill him. What could she do, from the sidelines?

"Don't worry too much," Shikamaru tried to calm the nervous girl. "He may be a bit dark, but he isn't such a bad guy once you get to know him."

Sasuke just shook his head, knowing that Naruto was nothing like any of them would imagine. '_He'll kill without hesitation when he feels like he needs to_,' he pondered. '_Though.. Why didn't he kill that Haku? Why can he be ruthless against one person, yet spare the other? __He never makes any sense..'_

* * *

"Interesting match," the Mizukage remarked. "She was quite agile for a genin. And her judgement was accurate as well."

"She would make a fine chunin indeed," the Hokage agreed. "I wonder why she failed the previous exam if she was this skilled."

The Kazekage just nodded, a little annoyed that someone had been able to land a blow on his best weapon. Not that any of these children could hurt Gaara, but still… No one in Sunagakure had found this weakness in Gaara's abilities. '_We will have to review his training once we get back._'

"Perhaps.. But now.. I am really looking forward to this match," Jiraiya smiled.

"A genius from the Hyuga clan versus your own student," the Mizukage revealed her knowledge about Konoha. "You must surely be excited."

Hiruzen frowned a bit, wondering how Jiraiya's involvement with Naruto's training became known across the border. '_No matter how tight you want to keep your security, something always slips through.. We'll have to figure out who leaked this information..'_ he sighed. '_But the Mizukage is right. First we have this fight.'_

The Hokage smiled when he thought back at the commotion Konohamaru had caused when he found out he had to attend at the academy instead of view the match of his 'boss'.

* * *

**A/N**: I feel like such a troll now… Stopping while Naruto's fight has yet to begin. I promise you all that the next chapter will arrive soon, hopefully at sunday. I just didn't have the time write more today..

Please leave a review. I read and cherish the support you all give me in my efforts to write this 'little' story. Apparently, reviews are the fuel which keeps the writing-engine running!

-Z-

* * *

_As a little bonus, I'll give a little overview of the skills that Naruto has at this point:_

**Genjutsu**:

None. Naruto has little talent for genjutsu, and never bothered to learn it either, other than to pass the academy. Ever since the Gekihoko was sealed into Naruto, he has become unable to cast genjutsu altogether, and is also immune to all but the strongest (and most complex) of illusions.

**Ninjutsu**;

Naruto has an affinity for wind release (futon), as well as fire release (katon), and has the lightning release (raiton) as a secondary element. Though this does not mean he cannot use suiton or doton, it does mean that those two types or more difficult for Naruto to use. And he already has issues with his chakra control due to the Kyuubi. In addition: Naruto focussed on fuinjutsu, and mostly ignored the regular ninjutsu.

Naruto has access to the basic ninjutsu thought at the academy, such as the Shunshin no jutsu (body flicker), and Kawarimi no jutsu (body replacement technique). Also, the _Kage bunshin no jutsu_ is a thing which I do not need to bother to describe any further..

_Futon: explosion_. Naruto tried to mimic the gentle fist style of the Hyuga, and charged his hands with wind chakra. All in all, it didn't work that badly, at least not until he put both hands to each other.. The result was that he created a sphere around him, a bubble of chakra, which explodes with quite some force. Naruto named it and uses it in specific situations. If he would have to rank it, it would probably be a c-ranked jutsu, considering there is some difficulty forming and stabilizing the bubble. But considering the limited usefulness, it could not be considered higher ranked.

_Futon: renkudan_. The renkudan, or 'air bullets' is a skill Naruto learned from Sarutobi Asuma. Naruto focuses chakra on one point, and shoots it as a projectile towards his opponent. As it is a highly compressed air ball, it deals quite some damage at a single target, and easily pierces objects like trees, or shatters walls, etc. The jutsu has no official ranking, but it is quite lethal, causing it to have a B-rank. It's limited area of effect is a bit of a disadvantage. Naruto is currently training to shoot faster and aims to release more than one bullet at a time.

_Futon: kazekiri no jutsu_ (wind cutter). This jutsu allows Naruto to create a slash of wind chakra, more or less like a blade of wind descending on his opponent. Like the renkudan no jutsu, this too was taught by Asuma. It is, however, not a skill Naruto has completely mastered yet, reducing its effectiveness.

_Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu _(great fireball technique). Also taught to Naruto by Asuma. This technique allows Naruto to throws an orb of roaring flames at his opponent. Unlike the renkudan, which has a fixed size, the gokakyu increases in size depending on the amount of chakra put into it.

Note regarding Katon: I listed the fire-based seals under fuinjutsu. Naruto has access to one more skill, but this one is yet to be revealed. Unlike the wind release, the fire release is not an affinity that Naruto has from himself, but rather due to the Kyuubi's influence on him. It's chakra altered Naruto, so to speak, and allows him to use fire, though with the key difference that it draws onto the Kyuubi's chakra and the jutsu's therefore are both easier to use (as it is easier to poor chakra into it), as well as dangerous. After all, using a bijuu's chakra is not without risks..

_Raiton: numbing hands_. A basic, and D-ranked, jutsu, which charges the user's hands with lightning chakra, allowing him/her to shock whoever is touched by it, numbing the victim.

_Raiton: wave of paralysis_. Works with the same mechanics as the previous jutsu, as it uses lightning chakra to paralyse the victim, but rather than the 'numbing hands' which is a close combat skill, the wave of paralysis can be used over a short distance. Unfortunately, Naruto has yet to properly master this jutsu, as his control over the lighting release is still too fragile for this C-ranked jutsu.

**Fuinjutsu**;

Naruto has access to a variety of sealing technique through the archives of his clan which were left to him, as last descendant of the Uzumaki. In addition to the list of fuinjutsu, Naruto also has access to a fire-based barrier.

_Stealth seal_. This is the only seal which he learned from a different source, namely a piece of the mask he found in the Uzumaki temple in Konoha. Though Naruto could only see part of the seal which was engraved in the mask – as he only had a piece of it – he still managed to replicate the seal. The seal prevents the user from being noticed in any possible way, at the cost of considerable amounts of chakra. Several factors are to be taken into account when looking at the 'cost,' for instance the number of people looking for the user (and their skill), as well as the conditions in which the user moves. It is easier to hide in the darkness then it is in clear daylight. It is easier to hide from a regular civilian, than it is from a high level shinobi (especially when this shinobi has access to for instance the byakugan, or is part of the Inuzuka clan). Still, it is the perfect jutsu for Naruto to move around unnoticed. The jutsu fails when the user talks or touches someone else (revealing the user's location to that person). Similarly, the jutsu does not work when someone is already noticing you, which means that Naruto cannot use the seal to hide from someone who is already looking at him (or listening to him, etc). Though the jutsu is yet imperfect, it still is easily A-ranked, or perhaps even S-ranked. After all, who can stop an assassin who cannot be noticed?

_Immolation seal_. First of Naruto's fire-based seals, this seal burns everything on which the seal is applied. If Naruto puts this seal on a tree, the tree burns to the ground. On the downside, it needs to touch the victim in order to work, and aside from fire it does not create an explosion or anything. Most likely a C-ranked jutsu.

_Infernal seal_. Second of Naruto's fire-based seals, this seal stores an amount of fire chakra and releases that amount instantly when ordered to. In essence: a timed explosion. Depending on the amount of chakra used, it can create quite a shockwave too, but using too much chakra on this seal also destabilizes it. As it is one of Naruto's favourite seals, he uses it quite often, combining it with barriers, etc. If I had to rank it, the basic jutsu would most likely be B-ranked, considering the difficulty of mastering it. In Naruto's hands, though, it is far more dangerous.

_Hellfire seal_ (Ennetsu Jigoku; flames of hell). This is a forbidden jutsu, basically S-ranked, as it is a suicidal move. Originally, this seal is designed to create a large pillar of fire, disintegrating everything that is within the range of the seal. As such, it is applied on the ground, and can cover a considerable area. It is, however, suicidal as there is no way to end the jutsu once started. Originally, it was designed to take down both the user and everything around him. Naruto managed to tweak the seal, and build in a method to end the seal when he wants it to end. This did reduce the damage output of this seal, though it is still easily Naruto's most destructive jutsu. (**A/N**: Yeah, and both the basic idea and the name are shamelessly stolen from Bleach, where Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, performed this skill.)

_Weight seal_. Increases the weight of whatever it is applied to. Basic rule: the more chakra in the seal, the greater it's weight, though the less stable the seal. D-ranked, as it is one of the most basic fuinjutsu Naruto has.

_Gravitation seal_. Within a certain area around the seal, gravity is strongly increased, taking down both the user and anyone (anything) surrounding it. Strong, but still Naruto has not really mastered it. It is intended to be used remotely, and for an extended period of time. Right now, Naruto cannot manage to put too much chakra in this seal, drastically reducing its duration (and its potency). Possibly an A-rank jutsu.

_Sentry seal_. Marks an area, and when someone crosses its 'borders' it will notify the user and function as the base of a barrier. B-ranked, as Naruto managed to combine several functions into one seal. It does, however, require Naruto to draw out the seal, rather than apply it with chakra, making it not the most flexible seal he has.

_Absorption seal_. Similar to what Jiraiya showed in the manga, Naruto can draw a seal which absorbs chakra and store it for a certain amount of time (the more chakra it needs to store, the shorter its duration). Ichiraku forbids the usage of this seal, as Naruto nearly blew up the shop when he was experimenting on how long this seal could last. Ever since, Teuchi is a bit wary when Naruto has loose scroll stuck in his pockets..

_Evil sealing method_. This jutsu is used to suppress seal on a person. For instance the seal which Orochimaru put on Sasuke. In addition, weaker seals can be completely locked away by this technique, but for marks of higher power are not that stable (requiring the one who carries the seal to keep it up).

**More skills will be developed in the future. I have several ideas already, but I _you_ have one, especially regarding the elemental fuinjutsu's, please leave them in your review :)**


	28. The second match

**The second match**

* * *

Naruto created a cloud of dust when he landed, having jumped down from the waiting room into the ring. The audience remained rather silent, and their cheers only started when Neji walked in. Obviously, the majority of the audience expected much from the Hyuga prodigy, and expected little from the unknown Uzumaki. Though, those from Konoha mostly wanted him to lose. They would even cheer if the Hyuga managed to kill the boy.

Hinata and Kiba were quite annoyed by the talk they heard around them. Most suspected Naruto had just been lucky during the preliminaries, and that he would face his death against the 'elite' Neji. They expected Neji to be one of the people who had a large chance to win the tournament, along with Sasuke and Gaara.

"Leave them be", Haruki said, seeing both of them grimace. "They'll see what Naruto can do, and then they will regret their past actions. Truthfully, I hope that a lot of people will make bets against Naruto..", he grinned.

"His former sensei seems to have placed quite a large bet on him", Ako remarked. "You know, that cute one with the scar", she smiled.

* * *

"Did you apologize?", Naruto demanded when Neji stood in front of him.

"What?", Neji frowned.

"Hinata-sama, did you apologize to her?"

Neji merely answered with a smirk, and Genma quickly stepped between them. "I expect you two to comply with the rules. I will not allow either of you to go too far during this fight."

"It won't be a fight", Naruto answered ominously. "This will be punishment."

Neji couldn't help but be a little disturbed by the almost feral expression on Naruto's face. All the hesitation and doubt which Neji had seen in him before the match had now disappeared. '_Than there is no need for me to hold back either.'_

"Begin!", Genma shouted.

* * *

"Good luck Naruto-kun", Hinata whispered, while she felt as if her heart had moved to her throat. "Please be strong. Show Konoha your strength", she finished her whispered prayer.

There was no doubt in her mind that Naruto would defeat Neji. But right now, that was not her concern. There were bigger things at stake. She knew full well that Naruto's fate in Konoha depended on his performance today. In the best case, he could change a lot of injustice, but in the worst case.. What if people saw their worst fears confirmed?

* * *

"Gentle fist style, eight trigrams sixty-four palms", Neji snarled, the moment Genma moved away from them. Naruto did not yet have the time to response, as he registered the first hits. Exactly like Neji had planned, since he knew he would be in a disadvantage when Naruto had the time to deploy his clones and create seals.

"Two hands! Four hands! Eight hands!", Neji shouted, while Naruto felt the same number of hits on his body. "Sixteen hands! Thirty-two hands!", Neji moved closer, slightly panted from the explosive action. "Sixty-four hands!"

The audience held their breaths while Naruto fell backwards. Neji jumped forward when Naruto crouched on his knees, unable to get up.

"Seems like the main house's dog is down", Neji smirked, grabbing Naruto's collar. _'No matter how much chakra you have, you can't do a thing when I close all of your tenketsu at once!'_

* * *

Hiashi clenched his first, and his entire family moved back as his anger radiated from the head of their clan. '_Unforgivable. Not only did Hizashi break the rules by teaching this boy techniques which are restricted to the main house, the brat also showed them in broad daylight. This is outrageous. Such an insult to the main house's honour will not be tolerated. Not by my brother, not by anyone!'_

Hitomi shook her head as she looked at Hizashi. The man had crossed the line. Not only had he broken the laws by teaching techniques which were restricted to only the main house, Neji had even shown them publicly, as a humiliation to the main house. A sign that the branch was equal. Hiashi had always been very tolerant towards his somewhat defiant brother, but now Hizashi had made a mistake.. He had gone too far. Not even Hitomi could save him now. '_You foolish man... Why did you have to do something like this? Why would you force your own brother to persecute the branch even further?'_

Wondering why her parents were so tense, Hanabi turned to look at the fight again. Neji was a genius of their clan, even if he was merely from the inferior branch family, so it was to be expected he could handle someone as lowly as that Uzumaki with little trouble. After all, the Uzumaki was as good as clanless. And everyone knew that clanless shinobi were inferior to proper shinobi who were the products of the strongest bloodlines. '_I wonder why my weak sister never realizes this.. Perhaps her weakness even extends itself to her brain',_ Hanabi considered. '_It must be, or else she would never be so focussed on this loser..'_

* * *

"All those big words of yours… Beating me.. Becoming Hokage..", Neji laughed after he spitted out those words. "You are merely an idiot who cannot even see his own reality! You will never become Hokage. That is not your destiny. People must live within their own unchangeable flow.. Only one.. The only destiny that every person shares is death."

Neji pushed Naruto away.

"And that's why I told you this was useless", Neji smirked. "You were destined to lose to me."

"You still think that?", Naruto grinned, with a drop of blood on his chin. "You may have those eyes, but no one can understand everything! That's why I told you to stop automatically deciding things.. Some things lie beyond your understanding, Neji.."

"You can't use chakra, and you're bleeding all over the place", Neji retorted with a confident smile. "You lost. You never had any…."

Naruto laughed. "Can't use my chakra? Poor Neji.. Are you truly _that_ blind?"

Neji looked, and saw the chakra burst from Naruto. "How.."

"Did you actually think you could stop me, Neji?", Naruto chuckled. "Seriously, do you even know how easy is it to create chakra storage seals? All I needed to do is to program it in such a way that it would shake up my chakra pathway system a bit, in the unlikely even you managed to block all of my tenketsu."

"That's.. Impossible.. Even if that happened.. The tenketsu were closed!"

"Apparently it's not impossible.. I just did it", Naruto frowned. "Besides, you didn't think I would let you perish without a publicly humiliating you and your clan first, did you?"

Neji glared, and started to approach Naruto again. Though the casual way in which Naruto announced his impending death disturbed the Hyuga prodigy.

"What? You expected me to not to come up with a way to prevent you from closing off all the tenketsu in my body? You really should stop underestimating your opponents.. Damn, genius or not, that a rather stupid move", Naruto said, speaking as if he was discussing the weather. "So, last chance: do you still refuse to apologize to Hinata-sama?"

As Neji dropped into his fighting stance, Naruto shook his head. "Stubborn fool… Why not just forfeit while you can still save your precious pride. Ah well, at least I fulfilled my promise." Naruto made some quick hand seal and nine clones appeared. "Go test him, but don't waste too much chakra, right guys?"

All nine clones nodded, and jumped away from Naruto.

* * *

"He used that seal against the juken?", Jiraiya massaged his own forehead. "Damn, I just thought he was down.. When did he.."

"That's rather ingenious", Hiruzen frowned. "Though I am sure the Hyuga clan will not be very happy about his.. Even though I highly doubt anyone but him can pull it off.. Forcibly opening the tenketsu is supposed to be impossible. Lethal, even.."

The Kazekage nodded, but did not avert his eyes from the match, completely focussing on the match which even turned out to surprise shinobi of their calibre.

"Truly surprising that a mere genin could do something like that", the Mizukage admitted, blinking her eyes. "Even I would've fallen for that one.. Haku wasn't kidding when he talked about this boy…"

* * *

"It's still not too late to stop this, you know", one of the bunshin remarked. "With Gaara in the next round, it would be preferable to waste as little chakra as possible."

"And it's not like you have a chance anyway", another clone continued.

A third clone laughed. "Now that would've been a great joke."

"You really think that", Neji grimaced.

"Sure, you may be good, but you are only a human", the original Naruto frowned, while he made it himself comfortable by sitting down on the ground. Though minor, he could use some time to let his injuries heal. "All that crap about fate and destiny… You know nothing about me. Screw destiny! You only see your own pain and suffering. And because of that, you will lose. And you already knew that, or else you wouldn't have pulled of such a big move right at the start."

"He sure looks desperate", the first clone chuckled. "Scared Hyuga always look so amusing.."

"Perhaps that some pain will open those blind eyes of yours", the second clone smirked. "Would be a shame if you died without ever have seen the truth.."

Neji couldn't hold his anger back any longer, and lashed forward at the clone. The original Naruto erected a barrier around him, and watched leisurely as his clones engaged Neji. '_Hmmm… So he's really faster than Hinata-sama. An advantage in reach. Also more strength, though in comparison he is not as agile.. Much more straightforward. Though, that may also be because of his anger_', Naruto mused, somewhat disappointed because of the promises he had made.

When Neji managed to take down seven of the nine clones, Naruto created five new ones. He had seen that Neji was careful not to touch the clone when attacking them, always keeping a layer of chakra between his own body and that of the clone. That was not something that surprise Naruto a lot. After all, Neji had seen how Lee was beaten by the clones with weight seals. Still, Naruto had yet to show what he could do..

The five new bunshin spread, and surrounded Neji. "Futon: renkudan", they shouted. Neji jumped back, avoiding the several windbullets, and using chakra to break through those that would hit him. Though, Neji was not able to avoid a minor cut on his hand, as the sharp and thin chakra pierced his defence.

"Damn", Neji mumbled, noticing that the five clones had surrounded him again, while the remaining two of the first batch now charged at him.

Naruto was a bit surprised that the supposed genius allowed himself to be surrounded so easily. Not that the previous attack was lethal, as he had used far too little chakra for that, but still. '_What is he hiding?_', Naruto pondered.

With five fireballs coming at him, and the two annoying clones trying to grab him, Neji had only one option left. "Hakkesho kaiten!", he barked, created an impenetrable and spinning dome of chakra around him.

Naruto frowned as he saw his two clones getting dispelled after they were thrown back, and the fireballs failed to do any damage. He narrowed his eyes as he thought of a way to break that defence. '_He pushed chakra from his entire body, and then started spinning… With that byakugan of his, he would block any attack from all directions_', Naruto sighed. '_Though.. That little trick must've consumed quite some chakra, just look at him.. He's already panting slightly. Still, it's a nice surprise to see something new like this..'_

Naruto created three new clones, and as they moved forward the other five jumped back. Seeing Neji frown at the new clones, Naruto smirked. "Try blocking this one, mister Genius."

Neji's eyes widened as he saw the concentrated chakra on the new clones, and was barely fast enough to create another sphere to defend against three great explosions.

"The weight seal isn't the only one which I can use in combination with my kage bunshin no jutsu", Naruto said lazily, when the smoke around the dishevelled Neji lifted. "Though, these bunshin can only use the infernal seal on a quarter of its real strength. Forfeit now, Neji."

"Never!", Neji's shouted with a furious expression.

Again, he was forced to use the kaiten to block the explosions from the five remaining kage bunshin which now jumped at him.

* * *

"No.. Naruto, don't do this", Hinata whispered, her eyes wide.

"He seems to be winning quite easily", Kiba frowned, not understanding his teammate's concern.

"I didn't want to.. I asked him not to kill…", Hinata started, before she sighed in relief as her cousin appeared again.

* * *

"I'll never… I'll show the main family..", Neji coughed, left on his knees due to the violent explosions.

"You know, I had just been planning to use my clones to beat you. I thought that would be enough of a humiliation for you, to know that I can defeat you without even lifting my own fingers at you", Naruto said as he casually walked over. Genma looked curiously, and saw he did not yet have to end the match. Yet.

"I know about that seal on your head", Naruto continued, with a cold and unforgiving tone. "The ones which the main family use to enslave the branch. To tell you the truth, I think they are repulsive. But I do not see any difference in the way the branch reacts. Blind hatred is no answer. You merely give them the excuse to continue like that, and to repress you even further. You idiots lower yourself to their level.."

Neji grimaced, and stood up. Still looking defiantly. "What do you know about anything", he snarled.

"Enough!", Naruto exclaimed as he kicked the Hyuga down. This time, his expression changed completely, allowing his rage to surface.

"I know more about being cursed by seals than you would even know! But all of that does not matter now", Naruto lunged forward and punched Neji in the gut. "It doesn't matter what reasons you think you had, Hinata-sama did _nothing_ wrong against you. Just like she never wanted to harm the branch. But you failed to see. She could just have activated that seal on that empty head of yours, and executed you on the spot, but she did not."

"She", Naruto said as he punched Neji again. "Begged me", another hit. "Not to kill you." Neji fell over after the last hit, and Naruto walked away.

Neji stood up, a bit unsteady due to the hits he had taken, and looked at Naruto. "What?", he asked, as a blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. "Why would she?"

"I've sworn to her that I would kill you", Naruto looked Neji in the eyes. The Hyuga winced back as he looked into the now crimson eyes that burned with a rage that simply was not humane any more. "But she begged me to break my word.."

"I wanted to rip you apart! For your arrogance. Your cowardice. I wanted to shatter your arms! Tear out your eyes! Hinata couldn't help it. She had no part in what was done to you and every other member of the branch! She hates it as much as you do, and still you tried to kill her. NO!", Naruto growled. "I will _never_ forgive you for that!"

Naruto's hands ignited and the flames around his fists turned into claws.

Neji paled as he realized the truth. "You!?", he exclaimed, as he tried to back away. But Neji had no chance.. One of the fiery claws flew forward and ripped Neji's head protector away.

Naruto dashed forward and his claws tore at Neji's chest, the flames immediately scorching and close the wounds. Leaving scars that would never go away. Neji trembled. Trembling because of the blinding pain. But even more.. Trembling because of this fear.

How could his opponent have such levels of chakra.

How could it have been _him_.

'_You said that death was my fate.. Now I see how you could say that_', Neji thought as Naruto again moved forward. Crippled by the pain, Neji couldn't even stand any more. There was no way out.. Down on his knees, he was humiliated in front of everyone. _'I'm going to die..', _flashed through his head.

"Never forget that you owe Hinata-sama your life", Naruto growled with a deep and inhuman voice.

"Your life, _and_ your freedom", Naruto said as he put his other hand on Neji's forehead, burning away his seal. Anything Neji had called pain before paled in comparison to this. As he felt the skin melt, the Hyuga prodigy lost his consciousness, screaming in pain.

"In my absence, you shall take my place..", Naruto whispered. "Or you _will_ die.."

* * *

The audience screamed in shock as Genma jumped forward to catch Neji. The jonin shouted at Naruto, scolding him for the excessive violence. Naruto merely shrugged. "I've won the match, haven't I?", he said coldly.

Genma could not deny that, so Naruto walked back to the waiting room, the audience left speechless. The genius from the Hyuga, the strongest clan of Konoha, was disposed of as if he was a mere academy student.

He had been nothing to Naruto.

Even Rock Lee was pale and speechless. "That was a bit.. Violent", Choji frowned. "Doesn't quite seem like Naruto at all.."

"How much was Naruto holding back against me..", Lee whispered.

"Who knows how strong that guy is", Sakura sneered. "You see what he did. He is just like that Gaara. They are monsters, not like any normal genin!"

Little did she know, about how right she actually was.

* * *

As Naruto walked up the stairs, he heard the audience starting to stir again. '_Now they've seen..'_, Naruto sighed. '_And what will they do next? It doesn't matter anymore. I won't become like Neji. No matter what they do to me, I refuse to hate them because of it. If I have to follow an example, it will be that of Hinata. She had the strength to forgive Neji, she knew how misguided he was.'_

'_I'll never give in to this weakness again, hatred only breeds more hatred. Even if I have to break my own word, I will have to do the right thing. Even if that means I have to go against my own biases. I will no longer spend my days hating those who hate me. I will be better than them. And I'll show them all!'_

* * *

Jiraiya swallowed before he spoke. "He defeated Neji, and did not use it's chakra..", he softly spoke to his Hokage.

Hiruzen nodded. "But this display.. He did not make it any better for himself", he whispered back.

The Mizukage looked curiously at them, while the Kazekage was engaged in a whispering discussion with one of his guards. Mei realized that between the two of them, Naruto had shown far more skill and restraint than Gaara had in the first match, as if Gaara relied much more on the demon inside him. '_With that skill in the kage bunshin no jutsu, as well as both futon and katon…This Naruto will become far more dangerous than even Zabuza expected.. And what truly scares me is that he was still holding back.'_

* * *

"That jutsu.. Is Naruto-kun truly the one who..?", Hinata turned at Haruki, who bowed his head. "Is he.."

"Yes", he said with a soft and sad tone.

"What?", Kiba frowned, looking at the three Hyuga who each had a different expression on their face. Hinata was shocked by something, Haruki seemed sad as if regretted something, while Ako had a fierce and almost proud expression. "What's going on? Naruto won, right?"

"You don't understand, blunderhead-two-leg", Chie said on an unusual serious tone. "Konoha will not understand, but the Hyuga clan will be shaken to its core.. They will be petrified now.. They should be."

* * *

**A/N:** But what did Naruto do? I'll reveal it in the next chapter! Hopefully at the end of next week. I apologize for ending with another cliff-hanger.. But at least I got this one out a day sooner than planned. Thank BentShuriken for urging me to hurry up ^^

Also: I want to give a big **thank you** for all those who took the time and effort to leave reviews (and PM's)! And an even bigger thank you for all those who are willing to share their ideas on fuinjutsu with me, as I had asked for in the previous chapter. If there are more ideas, please share!

-Z-

PS: I hope I did not disappoint anyone about letting Neji live, though I know at least a few of you wanted Neji to die. Long ago, when I started planning out this story, I wanted Naruto to execute Neji in front of everyone, but that turned out to be a little too brutal. And would (and should) have its consequences for Naruto too, I mean: it would only have confirmed the fears that people had about Naruto.. Besides, it turned out that I needed Neji later on, after I had made several changes to the storyline.


	29. Tears from the past

**Tears from the past**

* * *

"This.. So he is the one who… You knew this?", Hiashi asked his wife, upon seeing her expression.

"I had suspected that it was him, yes", Hitomi admitted. "I told you before: we owe that boy a debt we can never repay."

"So why did he… They were after Hinata", Hiashi guessed before finishing his sentence.

"Yes, I assume they were. It would make sense.. They would be after her, or after Hanabi, or me. I do not know for sure. He doesn't talk about it, and I have never asked. You know how he is.."

"But surely you could have.."

"Even to my eyes, that boy is an enigma. He is quite competent in hiding himself, in case you did not notice that up till now."

"But Haruki.. And Ako. They have to know about this..", Hiashi frowned, wondering if they had betrayed the clan.

"My cousin is loyal to that boy, Hiashi", Hitomi warned him. "The same goes for her. I suspect she got involved in a plot that was thwarted by Naruto. We know the boy can sense malice, so his trust in her should be sufficient, right?"

Hiashi grimaced, and massaged his forehead. Too many things happened all at once. He would question Naruto once this exam was over, but first he needed to focus on his brother. Hizashi's behaviour could not be left without repercussions. Hiashi could never allow _this _kind of transgressions.

* * *

"H-Hey?", Kiba was completely confused, as were Karin and Akamaru, who whined softly. Hinata had burst into tears for some reason they could not understand.

"There are a few things about Naruto that you should know now", Haruki said with a grim expression, and similar voice. "First of all, how he entered the Hyuga clan, because he saved Hinata-sama's life."

"I.. I heard a few things about that, yes", Kiba frowned. "She was kidnapped when she was but a child", he added when he saw Karin's look. "Naruto somehow helped saving her. Because of that, the Hyuga clan allowed Naruto to stay on the Hyuga complex, rather than sending him back to the orphanage he came from."

"Yes", Haruki nodded. "That's the gist of it. But what you probably do not know is that Naruto always felt like it was Hinata who saved _him_. Because he met her, he escaped the orphanages, and found a safe haven from all the hatred he was confronted with here in Konoha. His loyalty…"

Ako continued when Haruki paused, as he did not know how to continue. "Hinata-sama's position within the clan is a point of conflict. Many believe she is not suitable as the next head, especially the conservatives who see her mother's influence in her. That is why there had been a few… Accidents.. Well, over the years there were a few incidents, but the last two years nothing really happened."

"Nothing happened to Hinata-sama", Haruki continued with a frown, "But there were some other people in our clan that disappeared, or found dead. All of the dead shared one common characteristic: they suffered horrible burns and they all had the throats torn open, as if some wild animal had clawed at their bodies..."

"Wait… You don't want to say that…", Kiba started. "Those blazing claws? Naruto's jutsu? Is he.."

"Nearly two years ago", Ako cut him off. "A member of the main house forced me to add something to Hinata-sama's food…", Ako sighed. "That man used my seal to force me to obey, and even though I knew it was wrong I _had_ to do it, because he threatened to kill my brother, who guarded Hinata-sama… That is why they used me, because Ko would never have suspected me. But Naruto interfered. He killed the man, and turned to me with… With red eyes. I thought I was going to die, just like that man from the main family.. Just like how other from the branch had disappeared before. But Naruto said I was not to be blamed. That I was innocent… He made me swear that I would never tell anyone about this, unless he revealed it himself."

A single tear dripped from Ako's cheek. "And now he has shown the world his claws…"

"W-Why did he never.. Why did Naruto-kun never tell anyone?", Hinata asked with a quivering voice.

"He knew that these incidents were related, that it would be better if he remained in the shadows. Naruto knew he did not have the power to confront those who intended to hurt you directly", Haruki sighed. "He was too weak back then.. But apparently he thinks things have changed. I warned him, back when I found out. I saw him, his arms drenched in blood. I knew that people would not believe him, because of his burden. Especially when people of much greater influence and reputation were involved."

"T-Then why.. Why did he kill.."

"He didn't kill anyone who did not deserve it", Ako said sharply.

"Calm down Ako..", Haruki gestured. "Naruto never killed for the glory of it.. He lived his live alone, so he never felt any reason to boast about his actions. I do not even know how many times he intervened.. I know that several people have been found murdered, and even more have disappeared without a trace..."

"He did that.. Why? How did he get away..", Kiba frowned. "That stealth seal of his?"

"Yes", Haruki nodded. "No one ever saw him coming because of the stealth seal. That is also how he found out about the various schemes.. But still, I made him promise not to do anything unless it was to save lives. Well, your life that was, Hinata-sama."

"Why me", Hinata sniffed. "Why.."

"Naruto has always faced injustice", Ako frowned. "So much that he cannot tolerate it any longer when he sees others suffering the same fate... He says it doesn't bother him how people treat him, that he doesn't expect anything from others. But you all know better. Even though he never really talks about how he feels.."

Kiba nodded slowly, as he recalled how Naruto began to change after it was revealed who he really was. The silent and withdrawn boy had shown more of his gentle and friendly side. Even though Kiba was still disturbed by the ease at which Naruto could kill his opponents… They all had been prepared to take lives, during their education on the academy. But actually killing someone.. Small wonder Naruto was hardly disturbed by it, if he had already been fighting like this long before he even finished the academy. While the others were playing, Naruto had been doing the real thing…

"I still don't get it.. Why Hinata.. Why is she a target?", Kiba grimaced.

"There is a large gap between the main house and the branch. While they are related in blood, one rules over the other, and the latter act as little more than servants or slaves. We are bound by the seals that were put on her foreheads, so we are at the mercy of those who can invoke it", Haruki explained.

"With a single command an elder of the clan could kill us", Ako said with her annoyance clearly visible. "They abuse that power often enough, and the branch hates them for that. That hatred has only grown through the generations, while the answer of the main house has always been the same: increase their oppression."

"What does this have to do with it?", Karin asked.

"Hitomi-sama. She is the one who keeps Hiashi-sama more.. Lenient. That is why some of the elders wish her to die, but they are not able to touch her that easily.. No one can touch Hitomi, without incurring the wrath of her husband. So they turn to the heir, the girl who resembles her mother so much", Haruki said harshly.

Hinata looked up with her teary eyes.

"You are as gentle as she always was", Haruki smiled gently, as he rummaged through her hair. "The elders fear that more than anything. If you assumed your righteous position.. They believe you would not allow the current system to remain. Your rule would destroy the foundation of their power, and would leave them unprotected against the branch's hatred.. But when they look at your sister, they see the same sternness as Hiashi-sama often displays."

"And sadly, the branch is too stupid to see what is going on, and most are just consumed by a blind hatred at all those who do not have they heads marked.. Like Neji", Ako added.

"They can't help it", Hinata said. "Neji is a victim, just like… That's why.. That's why I asked N-Naruto-kun not to kill him. H-He said he w-wanted to..", she stammered. "When he visited me in the hospital.. He said he had sworn to kill Neji, in order to take revenge for what Neji had done to me.."

"And you stopped him", Haruki said gently.

"I.. I asked him to.. He promised me he would not kill Neji."

"Nothing is ever simple with that guy, is it?", Kiba sighed, while Akamaru whined.

* * *

'_So Naruto was behind all those that went missing or were found dead.. I always suspected that they were after Hinata',_ Hiashi contemplated, taking the circumstances into account. '_Though, to think he went that far… Did I still feel prejudice because of the Kyuubi no Kitsune? I should not have done that. His skill as a shinobi is far beyond anything I had expected. He toyed with Neji, yet that boy is a true genius, with a potential likely even greater than my own. How often did I not wish for him to be my own son, instead of Hizashi's.. The jokes of fate are truly cruel.. The perfect heir is just there, but I have no choice but to punish him for breaking our laws_', Hiashi sighed. '_Brother.. Why did you create this mess? Why do you force me into this position?'_

* * *

'_So.. Neji's seal is defused for now.._', Naruto thought. '_I should've infused sufficient chakra to make it last for a few years. Good thing I caught those idiots from the branch over the years.._', Naruto grimaced. On several occasions, he had captured members of the branch who tried to harm Hinata. Because of the complexity, and the drastic consequences, it had taken Naruto several 'attempts' before he could alter the cursed seal without having the subject die. It still, however, required an extremely painful method, but at least they lived. If things went according to plan, Neji would be free from the grasp of the main family, at least for as long as Naruto's chakra lasted.

Naruto doubted he could fully remove the cursed seal, at least not without either killing or permanently blinding the branch member.. And not when he did not have access to the methods the Hyuga used to seal their branch members. But this temporary freedom was better than nothing. After all, if Naruto had to leave Konoha with Jiraiya, Hinata was left unguarded. And Neji was skilled enough to do the job.

Well, not that Naruto trusted Neji, in the contrary. But Naruto knew one thing: Neji desired to be free from the branch. He desired that more than anything. And now, Naruto offered him two paths where he could gain freedom. First of all, if Hinata would become head of the Hyuga clan, Naruto believed that she would dismantle the entire cursed seal system. Secondly, as long as Naruto was willing to add chakra into Neji's now broken seal, that seal would not work. And as an added bonus, Naruto believed that I would be impossible for the main family to apply a new seal, because the old one was technically still there, even if Naruto broke it.

'_Though I suppose it would be too optimistic to believe that the branch might side with Hinata.. Or me_', Naruto considered, as he once again thought about the consequences. '_I might offer the branch a way out, but I bet that there aren't that many people who want to be burned that way. Besides, the main might buy it if I said that busting Neji's seal was an accident, as I merely wanted to punish him.. But if they knew I was deliberately tampering with the seal.. I bet they wouldn't be all too happy_', Naruto chuckled darkly.

"Ah well.. First I have to wait and see if Neji is smart enough to accept my offer", Naruto mumbled. '_Can always kill him if he refuses.. After all, I honoured Hinata's request by not killing him today. But that request does not forbid me to possibly honour my own promise by killing him later, if necessary.._', Naruto considered, feeling that the Kyuubi was amused by Naruto's way of thinking.

Whatever the Kyuubi may have been, Naruto knew it would not tolerate evil to exist.

'_Perhaps it doesn't want the competition_', Naruto smirked.

* * *

"You two-legs should've paid more attention to the battle", Chie sighed after the group had been discussion Naruto's actions for a while, mostly ignoring what happened down below. "That bun-hair-two-leg pushed the cloaky-two-leg into a corner."

"Wait.. Bun-hair.. Who..", Kiba frowned. "You mean Tenten? Did she push Shino? Damn… Shino is quite good, so that's no easy feat!"

"Cloaky was forced to create some kind of bug barrier around him, to avoid being hit by bun girl's weapons", the cat continued. "Bun girl pulled out a mace.. And if I'm not mistaken she used whisker-two-leg's seal on that thing."

"She did", Haruki nodded. "She applied the weight seal on that mace, and knocked Shino out."

"S-Shino lost?", Hinata blinked.

"Not really", the cat shook her head. "It was a draw. Bun girl had her chakra sucked dry during the fight, and she only used the last of her reserves to activate the seal. Bun girl fell down when she landed, so they were both unable to continue.."

Karin sighed. "I'm glad I did not have to continue.. I wouldn't have had a chance against these people.."

"Have a little faith, loud-red-two-leg", Chie rebuked. "Anyway, the next match is already in progress. The grumpy-two-leg against a.. Is it male or female two-leg? Hmpf. Neuter-two-leg it is.."

* * *

Just like the last time, Haku seemed to prefer keeping his distance from opponents. Sasuke already knew that the boy was a mid-range fighter, but getting close was a bit hard. Sasuke was not too eager to show off the progress he made, not so soon. But this guy.. This guy needed to pay for the previous match.

'_Damn.. I can't afford to hold back against Haku any longer',_ Sasuke gritted his teeth. '_I know Kakashi said to only show my speed when I would face Naruto or Gaara, but this guy.. I can't catch him. He's too fast and too nimble.'_

Considering his options, Sasuke decided to go full speed. At first, it seemed to work, as Haku only narrowly managed to avoid Sasuke's attacks.

"Seems like we have reached the same stalemate", Haku smiled. "Hyoton: demonic ice mirrors."

This went as Sasuke had expected, and because of that he was able to jump outside of the dome of ice mirrors. With his sharingan activated, Sasuke had easily seen the jutsu coming.

"That all you got? I thought you were faster than that", Sasuke smirked.

Haku looked at his opponent and wondered why the Uchiha tried to taunt him like this. Though the boy had certainly improved significantly since the last time they had fought. Certainly enough to justify the use of the demonic ice mirrors again. Previously, it had been more because Haku wanted to speed things up, because Zabuza might have been in need of his assistance.

But for some reason, the Uchiha did not seem to be bothered by the jutsu that defeated him so easily last time.

"Why the confidence?", Haku asked calmly.

Sasuke smirked, and started his jutsu. "Chidori", he said, as he charged at the mirrors nearest to him, and shattered three before stepping inside Haku's domain. With his sharingan active, he had seen how much chakra Haku had expended on the mirrors. And now it was all wasted, and Sasuke had the initiative.

Haku stepped out of one of the nearby mirrors and frowned when he saw the confident expression on Sasuke's face. "You know.. Last time, I did not even fight you with the intent to kill, so I do not understand why you think you've won with just that…"

Haku casually walked towards Sasuke. "Hyoton: frozen mist", he said.

With his sharingan still active, Sasuke saw the mirrors shatter and dissolve, spreading through the air. The moment he charged forward to attack Haku, the mist in front of the boy tightened up and formed a dome of ice protecting. Sasuke smirked. '_As if such a stupid thing will stop me..'_

Throwing out a large fireball, Sasuke charged at the dome.

Only for the dome to shatter in pieces, revealing that Haku had vanished.

"What the..", Sasuke mumbled, looking around him in order to find his opponent. But the frozen mist also spread out chakra, effectively blocking Sasuke's view, as his sharingan was rendered useless.

"Did you think I would just wait for you to attack me?", Haku's voice sounded, somewhere from the mist. "You attack head-on, but don't seem to really have the patience to think of a proper strategy.. I am actually disappointed that the rumoured Uchiha genius is not capable of more than this. I could understand the first time you lost, considering my advantage.. But this time.."

"SHUT UP!", Sasuke roared. "Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"

Launching a volley of smaller fireballs, Sasuke tried to rip apart the mist. But it was pointless. Haku sighed at simply stepped forward, revealing his position. "You know, you really are stronger than I am, and still you are losing like this.."

Sasuke's answer was performing the chidori.

Haku shook his head as he saw Sasuke, with his chidori in front of him, charge right at him. With a single gesture, Haku created a single mirror in front of himself. Thinking Haku was cowering behind such a weak defence, Sasuke smirked and charged on.

Falling right into the mirror.

This had not been a mirror like the one Haku had used before, ones which only Haku could enter, but rather one that everyone could enter or leave. Well, _if_ they had Haku's permission. And with permission, Sasuke had entered the mirror.

"Proud fool", Haku whispered, looking at the trapped Uchiha. '_But this jutsu drains too much of my chakra to sustain it much longer, whatever he may be, his chakra reserves certainly exceed my own by a large margin.. Though.. Not nearly as much as Naruto-san. Still, if I continue this too long, he will break free..'_

As such, Haku turned the mirror, created another set of icy senbon, and released Sasuke.

Disoriented, Sasuke barely had the time to stand up, before Haku hit him with his senbon.

Paralysed, Sasuke fell down.

Beaten again..

* * *

Sakura gasped for air when she saw Haku form dozens of icy senbons and pierce the trapped Sasuke. She could not fathom that Sasuke.. _The_ Sasuke would lose. Especially not to another genin. She ignored her inner voice which pointed at Naruto being stronger, and apologized to Lee and Choji before she ran down to the infirmary. Sure, she knew Haku had won last time, but Sakura had believed that Sasuke had been tricked somehow. Well, not that she knew the details, because he pertinently refused to talk about that day.

'_Surely, Sasuke will be happy to see me'_, she thought. Though, any other would have warned her to stay away from the wounded Uchiha. Because, it would be his pride that was wounded the most, after being defeated in front of everyone.

* * *

"That was.. Unexpected", Shikamaru groaned. "Dammit.. Now I have to go down there."

Naruto looked at the lazy genin, the only one who dared to get close to him after he had walked up. Though Gaara had not stopped staring at him, but his siblings stood between them.

"Perhaps, but Haku defeated Sasuke before", Naruto shrugged. "I'd say Sasuke has grown quite a lot, to be able to push Haku this much. As for that puppet guy.. Well, the easiest method seems to be to aim at the guy himself, not at his puppets. He doesn't seem the taijutsu kind of guy."

"I know that", Shikamaru grimaced. "But thanks anyway", he sighed. "Dammit, all you guys put up amazing fights, and now they expect something like that from someone as lame as me too…"

"We all have different talents. It's not like only the winner gets promoted, right? Just impress the old man", Naruto patted Shikamaru on his shoulder. "And don't forget that it would be even more 'troublesome' if you had to take this exam a second time", Naruto chuckled, causing the lazy genin to scowl.

* * *

"The next match will be between Kankuro of Sunagakure and Nara Shikamaru of Konoha", Genma announced, wondering why they had not shown up yet. "Report down here in two minutes, or you'll be disqualified according to the standard procedures."

Shikamaru turned and started to walk to the stairs when Kankuro spoke up. "I forfeit the match", he shouted at Genma. "My puppets got damaged during the preliminaries, and I did not have the chance to properly repair them."

Naruto looked at the painted genin. He did not have the byakugan, but he didn't need it to see that Kankuro was lying. This was not the type of guy who couldn't repair his tools if he had a whole month of time to do it. This guy was no amateur, but rather someone completely obsessed with his puppets.. There had to be another reason why forfeited… '_What is Sunagakure planning?_', he frowned.

Shikamaru had similar thoughts, and he looked at Naruto who answered his suspicions. "This isn't good", the blond whispered. Shikamaru nodded and turned towards Ino, who now had her match against the other sand sibling, Temari.

"Be careful", he warned Ino as she passed by. He knew she was happy to face Temari, so she could 'avenge' Choji, but he agreed with Naruto: something did not add up. '_The strange actions from Naruto.. The preparations from nearly all the jonin in our village who seem to expect _something_ to happen.. That psychopath Gaara.. And now this guy who forfeits for some implausible reason. What is Sunagakure planning to do?'_

* * *

"Start!", Genma shouted.

Temari looked at her opponent and smiled. "Too easy, they should've given me a proper opponent", she sneered as she fully opened her war fan. Knowing that the opponent had seen her strongest jutsu, and that the older kunoichi was also likely stronger at taijutsu, Ino leaped backwards, but was too late. "Futon: kazekiri no jutsu!", was the last she heard before a giant wave of wind blew her away.

Genma ended the match after the unconscious Ino slipped down from the wall in which she had crashed.

* * *

"Woah", Shikamaru exclaimed with his eyes wide open.

"That was rather vicious", Naruto frowned. "Damn, fighting her would be rather _troublesome_, don't you think?", he added sarcastically, looking at Shikamaru.

"Laugh it out", Shikamaru replied with an exasperated tone, knowing he had to face her in the next round. "Damn, I think I could just as well forfeit, like you…"

"Who ever said that I would forfeit?", Naruto smirked.

"But the jonin said.."

"I know", Naruto nodded. "But it's not like I care."

"You should be careful though, even you, Uzumaki-san", Haku said as he walked towards them. Gaara had already disappeared in a cloud of said, reappearing down on the ground. "Sabaku no Gaara will be no ordinary opponent."

Naruto stretched out, and smiled a bit. "Thanks for your concern Haku, but I'll probably be fine." He looked around and gestured him and Shikamaru to get closer. "I would not be surprised if Sunagakure does something strange once the match in on its way… You both be careful, and if it is necessary, make sure that Temari and Kankuro do not try to help them", Naruto whispered to Haku and Shikamaru. "I know you're not from Konoha, Haku, but I trust you would aid us. After all, Miss Mizukage wanted to improve the relations between Konoha and Kiri.."

"I know..", Haku whispered back. "Mizukage-sama has issued her.. Orders regarding the situation.."

"And about Temari.. It might be that she does not want to attack you.. But make sure she doesn't aid the ones attacking Konoha."

* * *

"Oh no..", Hinata paled, when she saw Gaara appear on the floor. "Next match… N-Naruto-kun.."

"So that is Sabaku no Gaara..", Haruki was impressed, after he shortly activated his byakugan, something which he rarely did these days, as his tormented body could hardly sustain it. "No wonder Naruto was so agitated…"

"Kurenai-sensei said he had a plan", Kiba frowned. "But what could he do.. Naruto is not as fast as that Kumo girl earlier."

"We must believe in him", Ako said. "No matter how strong this Gaara is, Naruto will win."

Hinata nodded, but couldn't help but feeling worried. She knew that only Gaara could fight Naruto as an equal..

* * *

As Naruto walked down the stairs, he met Temari. "Temari-san, don't look so worried", he frowned.

"How could I not be worried.. I've seen Gaara… I know what he can do", she stood there and appeared much more fragile than Naruto had ever seen her up till now. "And.."

'_She hides just as much as I do'_, Naruto realized, when he considered that her confident attitude was just an act. "If you want to help me, make sure no one interferes. I'm sure neither the Kazekage nor Orochimaru give a crap about Gaara's wellbeing, or they would never have put him here.."

He looked at the girl's expression and knew his fears were right. "I see… When do you guy plan to make your move", Naruto sighed.

"I.. I don't know.. We only heard yesterday", Temari's voice nearly broke. "They.. Father.. He just plans to use Gaara as a weapon.. As something disposable.. How could he?"

"You guys are shinobi", Naruto stated. "While Gaara and I are jinchuriki. But they are just words, pointing at the fact that other people want to use us as tools.. I'd say we are all human beings, with the right to make up our own minds. I don't want to be seen as a monster, or a tool. And I bet you don't want to get your little brother killed.."

Temari shook her head. "No matter what he is.. Gaara is still…"

"Then make the right choice", Naruto said, as he turned away to walk down. He knew he would risk his life, but at least it would be the right thing to do.

'_Whether it is killing or being killed.. Life only has meaning when we do the right thing. Just like Haku said: we can only be truly strong when we protect what we hold dear.'_

Naruto looked down at his stomach when he felt the Kyuubi's agitation. "And with you, we have an eight tail advantage", Naruto smirked.

* * *

**A/N**: First day of the month: time for a new chapter, don't you agree?

I wanted to give Temari some more 'human' traits, in her case her concerns about her brother. I know she has the more or less "tough girl" act in the manga, but I think people usually act tough to hide their concerns. Her confusion about the orders she got, the loyalty to her father, and imminent fall of her brother – who is expected to release his bijuu when ordered – only uncovered these doubts. Though, do not expect that I will write an emo-Temari..

She obviously has her reasons to doubt her father!

Again, thanks to all who responded after last chapter. I am indeed very honoured to receive so many great reviews! It truly keeps writing fun. So, I hope I can manage to keep you all entertained. Especially because the climax of the chunin exams has yet to come..

Well, that's all for this week folks, next chapter: "**Sabaku no Gaara**"

-Z-


	30. Sabaku no Gaara

**Sabaku no Gaara**

* * *

He clenched his fists as he saw the boy walk forward. "Hang in there kid..", Jiraiya whispered. Hiruzen looked at him, and felt sympathy for his former student. Naruto had to take an awful risk, while no one could help him. Not without causing some kind of incident with Sunagakure..

Yet, Jiraiya felt proud. There he was, his student, his _godson_, walking up towards an opponent that frightened even many of the jonin, yet there was not a shred of fear to be seen on Naruto. His green kimono made it obvious to most of the people in Konoha that he was Jiraiya's student, the only one with similar clothing. Yet Naruto had given it his own feeling, by adding symbols of his clan and Konoha to the shoulders, and his should guards and hand guards. In Jiraiya's eyes, the only thing that was missing was a good looking cloak. But he knew that the boy would earn his own cloak soon enough, once he started training under Fukasaku and the other toads.

"The kid has the looks, now all he needs to do is prove himself", he mumbled to himself.

* * *

"Don't look so upset.. Even dad has faith in the kid", Asuma tried to comfort Kurenai who looked worried as her student had to face Gaara.

"Perhaps… I know Naruto hides much of his ability, but this Gaara.. He worries me."

They stood at the edge, watching over the audience as most jonin had their guard duties assigned to them. Luckily, Hiruzen had been very considerate and gave those whose students participated in the finals a place in the arena.

Several meters from both jonin, Lee and Choji discussed the upcoming match. "I told you: Shikamaru said Naruto would win", Choji frowned, as he seemingly tried set a new record for the quickest consumption of a bag of snacks. Not that he would easily beat the record set by his grandfather, though.

"I know Naruto-san is strong.. But this Gaara, he gives me the creeps", Lee admitted. "By the way, why is Sakura-chan so unyouthful towards Naruto-san?"

"Beats me", Choji shrugged. "She never hid her dislike of him, even at the academy.. I mean, at times she even tried to hit him, even if he didn't do anything to her. But after he left team seven… Ino once mentioned Naruto did something bad when they were at a mission abroad, but she couldn't figure out what.."

"You think she's angry that he left?"

"Maybe, but she seems rather scared of him, if you ask me. Not that I know why… Naruto may not be the social kind of guy, but he's actually quite a friendly once you get to know him."

Lee's giant brows dived down as he tried to figure out what was going on. A great many people had been hoping for Naruto to lose, when he had his match against Neji. The amount of hatred towards Naruto was unreasonable, even if Neji was from one of the most prominent clans of Konoha.

* * *

"Ok, both of you remember the rules, right?", Genma asked, drawing the attention of both Gaara and Naruto. "And.. Usually, I don't have to say this, but in your cases: the fight is bound to the arena itself, if any of you gets outside you will be disqualified."

Naruto frowned, then nodded. Gaara just stood there, impassively, staring at his opponent.

"Right then… Let the second round begin!", Genma announced, before he quickly jumped away from the boys.

* * *

"My lady.. Haku signalled", Zabuza whispered as he bowed towards his Mizukage.

She sighed. "So it is as I had feared.. We will stick to the plan."

"But.. My lady, if we.."

"No arguments, Zabuza. I made a promise on behalf of Kirigakure, and I intent to keep that promise. We must do everything for the sake of Kiri, no matter our own wishes", she silently cut him off. "You know what to do once it starts… They'll never expect it, though.."

Zabuza nodded and stepped back again. Days like these made him wonder if he made the right choice when he returned to Kirigakure..

* * *

"Temari… Did you see the look on Gaara's face?", Kankuro whispered worriedly. "He's losing it.. What is father.."

"Kazekage-sama gave his orders", Temari sighed. "We can only watch.. Or that's what we are supposed to."

"What were you doing with that blond brat anyway?"

Temari turned towards her brother with a look that sent shivers to his spine. "Are you loyal to your family, or to Suna?"

"W.. What?"

"Do you want to kill our little brother for the sake of our village? Do you trust father?"

"G-Gaara? You know what I think about him.. You've never seen him when he… What's wrong with you Temari?"

She sighed. "Never mind." She had not expected her brother to think the situation through. He was too obsessed with his fear for Gaara, and blindly trusted their father to make the right decisions. It would be up to her to make sure the Uzumaki could do what he promised.

Or at least be the one to kill the Uzumaki if he ended up breaking his word.

* * *

Gaara bowed his head slightly, and his cold demeanour changed into a grimace of madness. Naruto jumped back once some send flew out of Gaara's gourd, but then looked with some confusion as Gaara grabbed his own head, as if he was in pain.

"Don't… Get so angry… Mother…", he panted, his eyes wide open.

"Eh? What's..", Naruto started, cut off when more and more sand rose up.

"I fed you some nasty blood earlier… I know mother, I'm sorry… Yes mother, this time..", Gaara looked up at Naruto, and the ferociousness startled Naruto. "This will be delicious."

* * *

Up in his chair, the Kazekage grasped the armrests of his chair. '_What is he doing.. Why is he starting the conversation now? It is too early… That idiot, did he forget about the plan? He should just make quick work of that blond brat and be done with it!'_

* * *

Gaara's entire body seemed to break down in spasms for a moment, and all the floating sand fell to the ground.

"Come..", Naruto shuddered as Gaara's voice had become completely emotionless and cold again. Whatever the boy had went through, it seemed like he had only fallen deeper into the darkness.

"It is that one-tailed loser", the Kyuubi growled inside Naruto. "He is trying to take control."

'_Do you still promise to help me?_'

"Against him? Yes."

'_And you swear you won't try to take over my body?_'

The Kyuubi growled. "I told you, you ingrate. You pathetic humans may break your words easily, but that doesn't mean that I have no honour. I'd rather swallow my pride then allow that one-tailed loser to defeat you. No way that I will allow his jinchuriki to be stronger."

'_Still the same thing about not wanting to die?_', Naruto smirked.

"That too.. Now pay attention and don't waste my chakra, or I _will_ gobble you up, you little brat!"

Naruto smiled, it was a risk, but he knew that he would have to take it. "Kage bunshin no jutsu", he created five clones which darted towards Gaara. With the chakra the Kyuubi now provided, Naruto was sure that he would have an advantage over Gaara.

Even if Naruto had been forced to spent more chakra in his previous fight then expected. Despite everything, Neji was not a complete pushover.

Naruto recalled Samui's efforts to bypass Gaara's defences, and knew he would not be able to do the same thing. He was not as fast as she was, or people like Lee and Haku, and probably even Sasuke. No, Naruto's strong point was his chakra reserve. But against this opponent, that advantage would not mean as much as it usually did. Unless the Kyuubi was truly that much stronger than the Ichibi.

Naruto had thought this through multiple times in this past month: his best bet was his skill in ninjutsu and fuinjutsu. Though not the ones that would kill Gaara. Gaara, on the other hand, seemed to trust solely on his ability to manipulate sand, while Naruto had access to futon and katon jutsus, as well as an array of seals. Well, technically he could also the raiton jutsus, but his ability in those was still insufficient, especially against Gaara's defences. Not to mention that his numbing hands jutsu would require him to get close to Gaara.. Which wouldn't be the most intelligent move to make, when you know Gaara crushed his opponents as easily as someone else could break a twig.

* * *

Hinata held her breath as she saw the bunshin darted around Gaara, attacking with both fire and wind. But Gaara's sand defences were too strong.

Haruki frowned. "Why is he testing him? He should've seen this in Gaara's last fight", he mumbled.

"Perhaps he is preparing something bigger?", Kiba guessed, his sharp ears able to hear the man's soft spoken words.

* * *

"Hmm… So he can create a sand bunshin?", Naruto mused, after a part of Gaara's sand barrier had taken shape and fought two of Naruto's bunshin. "Perhaps I should try the next thing..", he created two new bunshin, of which one dispelled immediately, sending its knowledge to the other clones.

Naruto took the scroll he carried on his left thigh and summoned a much larger scroll from it, as the six bunshin now darted around Gaara, evading his attacks and planting seals on the ground. The original Naruto took three pieces of paper from his back pockets, and set up a barrier. This barrier had been strong enough to survive a few hits from the legendary sannin Tsunade, so it should last for a while against Gaara too.

Gaara looked annoyed when he finally managed to catch one of the blond bunshin. Sure, the brat wasn't as nimble as that Kumo girl he fought before, but still.. "Enough of this", Gaara murmured as he spread out his arms, sacrificed his sand bunshin, and created five tentacles of sand which lunged at the remaining bunshin that dared to annoy him.

"Now!", Naruto shouted from his protected position. The bunshin charged forward, to their doom. But upon their 'death', they exploded.

* * *

Genma flinched when he saw the series of explosions, which covered nearly half of the stage. '_Damn.. That Kyuubi brat..'_, he chewed on the senbon in his mouth. '_First he blew up those clones, and then he ignited those seals the clones had scattered around the sand brat.. Seriously, I should keep my distance or my clothes will become a damned mess!'_

* * *

Naruto wasn't very surprised that Gaara remained unharmed, after all it had just been a dozen of infernal seals that exploded around him. But by the looks of it, the explosions had torn away most of the outer layer defence, and even created several cracks in the layer of sand that Gaara had put on his body as armour. Naruto couldn't supress a smirk when he saw Gaara's annoyance. '_So he felt that one.. Good.'_

"I'm sorry mother", Gaara suddenly screamed, and created a large wave of sand that crushed against Naruto's barrier.

"Tsk, did he think I wouldn't expect something like this?", Naruto frowned, putting his hand against the barrier which Gaara tried to crush by force. "Immolation seal, release", Naruto commanded, burning away the sand that surrounded him, while the barrier remained intact.

"Is that all?", Naruto mocked Gaara with a disappointed tone. "I had expected more from you, mister one.. Perhaps that shortage of tails explains the gap between us?"

Gaara growled and the sands started to shift, creating a sphere around Gaara.

"Great.. And now he has become a giant egg..", Naruto frowned. Though, the determined glare from Gaara, right before the sand hid him from Naruto's view, disturbed him.

"You idiot, you should be getting worried!", the Kyuubi exclaimed inside him.

'_What?'_

"He locked himself in so that he can start his transformation! Stop hanging back and take the initiative, moron."

'_What? I thought the transformation..'_

"It's not the same for every jinchuriki", the fox sighed with impatience. "Prepare that seal of yours, and I'll provide you the chakra you need to buy time. One more thing, if you can break that cocoon, you will disturb the transformation, rendering him defenceless."

'_Right, thank you, Kyuubi.'_

"Tsk, I don't need your thanks. Just beat Shukaku, if you want to thank me. Or even better, set me free."

Naruto smiled as he felt the demon's chakra flood his system. "You know I can't do that without killing myself, you bastard. We were both trapped by the fourth."

* * *

Haku frowned as he heard Kankuro swear the most terrible things. He looked at Shikamaru. "Seems like something is not going according to plan", Haku smiled.

* * *

Naruto created four new kage bunshin, who would prepare the jutsu he actually wanted to keep as a contingency, while he himself stepped forward to face the cocoon of sand. He grinned, and waved indifferently at the eye of sand that floated next to the cocoon. "Futon: kazekiri no jutsu!", the Naruto exclaimed, but frowned a bit when the attack had no effect.

"All right then.. Let's use some of the extra chakra. Futon: renkudan!", Naruto said calmly, putting a larger amount of both his own and the Kyuubi's chakra into the jutsu. The three massive bullets of air hit the cocoon, two of them created dents in the cocoon, while the third ricocheted and created significant damaged to the wall behind them.

"Damn.. Alright, next", Naruto shrugged, though getting a little annoyed. "Katon: gokakyu no jutsu."

The fireball was not strong enough to damage the cocoon, but this was never Naruto's intention: he used it to blind Gaara's artificial eye. Naruto threw a couple of kunai, with tags attached to them, into the cocoon surrounding Gaara. "Ok, let's see how he fares against this", Naruto frowned as he activated the weight seals attached to the kunai.

* * *

"Yes mother.."

"Yes"

"I will rip off his head, then I'll crack it open so you can eat the brain.."

"Huh?"

"Yes, the head.. Then tons of blood will flow out.. You can have all of it, mother.."

"Brother?"

"Is that why you hate him so much, mother?"

"Yes mother, I will destroy him, but why can't I play with him?"

"Don't you want him to suffer, mother?"

"I'm sorry you had to have so much patience.. I'm always a good boy, I'll do as you say… I will watch.."

"He is trying to damage me, mother."

"Kyahaha, yes mother, we are ready. He is too late now!"

* * *

"Finally", Naruto mumbled, when the weight seals caused the cocoon to crack. Some additional air bullets only sped up the crumbling of the barrier which kept Gaara safe. This barrier had been way stronger than he had expected.

"Ahahaha", Gaara emerged laughing manically, his right arm and face covered with black lines which spread further and further while Gaara continued laughing, still with his eyes closed.

"Idiot! You were too late", the Kyuubi growled. "Now burn him."

"No", Naruto shook his head. "Not yet, I have to try.."

Gaara's laughing changed in a shriek of pain, as his right arm transformed into a monstrous claw made out of sand. The sand, and the black lines, spread over the right half of his face as well, and when Gaara opened his eyes… Naruto shuddered when he saw the inhuman right eye.

"Come", Gaara growled, with a voice not his own. "Let me feel it! Fight me!"

"So this is what it looks like to see a jinchuriki…", Naruto felt some fear for the first time this match.

* * *

Bending over, Gaara grabbed the ground with his claw-shaped arm. Using its demonic strength, he charged forward at Naruto.

"Few…", Naruto whistled as he barely escaped, using the kawarimi no jutsu and sacrificing a clone. "At least preparations are complete..", he looked and nodded at the other bunshin, ordering them to dispel. Against an opponent of this strength it would be pointless to spread out his chakra over multiple clones, that was a basic rule that Jiraiya had stuffed in his head when Naruto first learned the jutsu.

"Are you afraid of me, Uzumaki Naruto?", Gaara screamed, making it obvious to Naruto that his demon had completely taken him over. "Do you fear my existence?!"

Naruto sighed, and started chuckling. Genma scrambled, knowing this would get out of control.

"Afraid of you?", Naruto smirked. "Now why would I have to do that? Did you forget who I am?", Naruto added, when the crimson chakra started to bubble around him. "A miserable one tailed idiot would threaten me?", Naruto laughed with a now inhuman voice, feeling the Kyuubi's influence grow, but trusting that the demon would not betray him. "Why would I even feel the slightest bit of fear?", he added with a mocking tone. Well, not that it mattered if the Kyuubi betrayed him at this point, as there would be no way that Naruto survived this battle on his own power.

"You will!", Gaara screamed, as his gourd disintegrated and the sand covered his legs and creating a hideous tail.

The ground trembled when both partially transformed jinchuriki clashed. Jiraiya grabbed Hiruzen's shoulder to prevent him from leaving his chair. The match was still going on, according to regulations. Intervention would be a violation of the terms of the chunin exam. But as much as they knew this, it was still difficult to stand at the side-lines this battle unfolded.

A battle unlike any ever seen before in any of the previous chunin-exams.

This was no longer a battle between humans. This was a battle between jinchuriki.

* * *

Orochimaru silently cursed that his servants had not finished yet. He knew that once Gaara reached this stage, full transformation would be imminent. But they were not ready. How he regretted not slitting his employer's throat and taking control of the operation himself. If only it had not been for his ability to steer the Ichibi..

But at least it had given him the time to track down a nice new addition to his village of the hidden sound. And who knows, perhaps even a suitable body for him to use, with the proper training.. '_Uchiha Sasuke… How I've longed for eyes like yours..'_

* * *

Naruto was faster, but Gaara was heavier and his hits had more power to them. Even worse, the jinchuriki from Sunagakure slowly kept transforming further and further, until he now reached a state in which only his legs had remained a human shape.

"I'm increasing the supply", the Kyuubi warned. "It'll shape your first tail. That should be sufficient to take him down. Now, drag him to the centre of that seal of yours, quickly!"

"Yes boss", Naruto grimaced. The Kyuubi had never been much help, apart from the times in which their lives were in danger. The current level of cooperation, however, was strangely enjoyable.

"What are you hesitating", Gaara laughed. "Perhaps I should kill those so called friends of yours? Should I start with that white-eyed bitch first?"

The ground cracked and trembled as more and more of the crimson chakra emerged from a now frozen Naruto.

"What?", Naruto whispered. "You.. Dare.. Threaten..?"

The chakra skyrocketed, responding to Naruto's rage. The crimson eyes turned to Gaara. Naruto, now fully covered by the Kyuubi's chakra, and with one tail behind him, charged towards Gaara.

The sand shaped claws tried, but failed to repel the crimson claws that grabbed Gaara throat. "You would dare to threaten my friends?", Naruto hissed. Gaara roared and sand crushed at Naruto, but the latter felt nothing. "You dare threaten Hinata? Did you really think the Ichibi could stand up against the Kyuubi?", Naruto asked, before he threw Gaara away like a ragdoll. "Pathetic little moron…", he growled.

The last remnants of Gaara's sanity now cowered in fear, as the now furious jinchuriki approached.

* * *

Genma looked up at the kages, but the Kazekage did not say a word, so the Hokage could not end the match. Yet. Not that Genma would be anxious to jump in the middle of this fight. '_Damn this.. I never imagined these brats could go this far! This is crazy!'_

* * *

Sand shuriken flew around, but could not penetrate the thick layer of chakra surrounding Naruto.

"Gaara..This is your last chance. Undo that creature's influence, or fall", Naruto warned him with an indifferent tone that would have terrified most other opponents. But the sand demon was already preparing to attack, so Naruto simply responded with a fireball. Though, Naruto had underestimated the influence of the Kyuubi.. Naruto knew he should calm down, but his unshackled rage made it so much easier to draw onto the Kyuubi's vast chakra. And the fireball became too strong.. Far too strong.

Ripping apart Gaara's shell of sand, the fireball knocked him down into the ground.

"Stop this", Naruto commanded, gritting his teeth as he tried to suppress his anger. "NOW."

"Hahahahaha stop?! Never!", Gaara howled, as his chakra suddenly surged far beyond anything he had shown up till now. "I don't care anymore! Curse the mission! Curse my family! Curse that moron that calls himself my father! Curse that village which only shuns me!", Gaara laughed insanely.

Gaara stood up, and looked at Naruto. "All should cower in fear before my final form…"

Naruto heard the screams of panic coming from the audience, as he tried to digest what he saw in front of him.

A humongous demonic tanuki, its body made out of sand, stood where Gaara had been. It was so large that it had crushed the wall behind him, as its single colossal tail reached out into the streets behind the arena.

Luckily, this was the one side without seats for the audience, so Naruto figured that there wouldn´t have been too many casualties. At least, he hoped..

"Dammit..", Naruto whispered.

"I told you what would happen, and yet you didn't act", the Kyuubi growled inside him.

"Well, how was I supposed to stop him without murdering him?", Naruto grumbled. "I gave my word that I should try!"

"You said you would try, and you did. How do you plan on killing him now? His release is nearly complete, so you are facing a real Bijuu now, not restrained by any seal.. Stop wasting time, or you'll get us both killed!"

"Kill? I'm not planning on doing that", Naruto frowned. "But it will get rather tricky now. But look, he stands precisely at the right place.. Now I just need a shitload of chakra to activate my back-up plan. I never expected Gaara to be _this_ strong.."

"You greedy little brat.. And I even warned you, you puny moron! Well fine, I'll provide it, it's not like I have much choice anyway. But you better make sure you beat that stupid tanuki back to the hell where it came from!"

* * *

The Kazekage paled, as he saw his son lose control completely. This was a sight that had haunted him for the last few years, when he slowly saw his son being consumed by the demon. He signalled his guards: the plan had to be executed _now_.

"Jiraiya", the Hokage said. "This has gone out of control, Gaara broke out of the arena, so by the rules I declare that he has lost. So you go down and stop him", he ordered his old pupil, as he glared at the Kazekage, who slowly stood up.

"No", the Mizukage stared down at Naruto, stopping Jiraiya in his tracks. "What is that.. What kind of drawing is that around the demon?"

The Kazekage and Hokage turned their attention at whatever Naruto was doing. The Hokage paled. "No.. No.. This.. This cannot be. Not that! How.. Where did he learn that?", Hiruzen stammered as he turned to Jiraiya, who looked with open mouth.

"I… He shouldn't be able to have read that scroll! That's impossible!", Jiraiya whispered, his eyes wide in shock. "Not even I could.. Even Mito-sama never wanted to master that jutsu!"

"What is he doing?", the Kazekage demanded. Not noticing the petrified look on his guard behind him.

* * *

With the seal already created by his bunshin earlier, all Naruto had to do was to ignite the seal. And he had to move quick, before the Ichibi, now unleashed in the centre of Konoha, could create havoc. Drawing in as much of the Kyuubi's chakra as he could hold, his 'cloak' expanded to three tails, and Naruto unleashed the seal which he never had wanted to use.

"Fuinjutsu: ennetsu jigoku", he almost panted, barely noticing how inhuman his voice now sounded, as the flaming pattern rose up and exploded into a pillar of deep red flames. '_Let's hope that the fires of hell can consume this demon.._'

Not even Shukaku, the one tailed bijuu, could withstand the flames of hell which Naruto now summoned. The noise from the audience, from the crumbling wall, from everything. It all vanished when the pillar rose up and its flames started to howl and scream, as the flames turned from red into yellow into a blinding white.

Alone, Naruto could barely keep the jutus up for a minute, but with the help of the Kyuubi.. Where would his limits be?

The tanuki screamed and frantically tried to get out, but its limbs of sand simply melted under the heat. The outer layer of the creature turned into glass, and the longer the pillar continued to burn, the thicker the glass became, completely immobilizing the demon.

The entire stadium looked on, as if the world had frozen, as Naruto kept the seal active for one minute.

Two minutes, the monster became unable to struggle.

Three minutes, Naruto started to feel the exhaustion by the insane amounts of chakra he was forced to use.

Four minutes, Naruto could feel the chakra from the Ichibi dwindle, as he panted and struggled to keep the flow of chakra from the Kyuubi into the seal intact.

Five minutes after the seal was ignited, the Ichibi's chakra nearly vanished, and Naruto ended the jutsu, afraid he would killed Gaara if he continued too long. The roaring pillar of flames dwindled, and the molten remains of Shukaku of the Sands shattered.

As the pieces of glass fell, Naruto watched. '_Where is he? I didn't mess up, did I?'_

* * *

As the debree of the fallen Jinchuriki shattered and fell, the disguised guard of the Kazekage drew his blade.

'_This charade has gone on long enough..'_

* * *

**A/N**: I bet this went quite different from what the Kazekage had been planning.. Or even Orochimaru himself! And talking about plans.. I hope I don't get a mob of angry readers after me, for dropping these kinds of cliffhangers at the end of each chapter ^^

Some justification on the level of powers in this chapter: I made the assumption that the nine-tails is stronger than the one-tail. That does not, however, automatically mean that Naruto is stronger than Gaara, as the latter can release much more of the Ichibi's chakra, because his seal is much weaker. The Kyuubi may be a lot stronger, but the seal limits the amount of power he could give Naruto. If anything, I'd say that the fully released Shukaku should have had the upper hand, if it had not been for Naruto's hellfire seal.

**Thanks for reading my 30****th**** chapter, and please leave a review!**

-Z-

**PS:** In response to the review of the guest 'WHACKHEAD': I see, I messed up on that. The Dutch 'leren' can be translated to English in both 'learn' and 'teach'. I suppose I've been messing that one up.. I'll try to not do that again! (And updated that chapter, it should be better now, I hope)


	31. Invasion pt1: Sealing

**Invasion pt1: Sealing**

* * *

"He.. Failed..", the Kazekage stood frozen. "How.."

Behind him, his guards stirred. '_So Gaara-kun has failed.. That Uzumaki brat is more annoying than I had foreseen.. It has been my mistake to not take him down properly back in the woods, even though I had believed the poison would have crippled him. Perhaps I should conduct more research to the Uzumaki.. His strength is starting to intrigue me',_ Orochimaru though at high speed. '_But there are more important things now. Sunagakure has failed me, but we cannot withdraw the attack any more.. I should just create as much chaos as possible, and have my fun with Sarutobi-sensei…'_

The disguised guard stepped forward, and bowed to the Kazekage. "You have served us well, but it seems your usefulness has come to an end", Orochimaru whispered, as he ran his poisoned blade through the Yondaime Kazekage. "But it appears I won't need you to control Gaara-kun any longer.."

"You.. Traitor..", the man gurgled. His eyes wide in shock. Not that the Kazekage was shocked that he was wounded like this..

But rather, that the will that had been influencing him suddenly vanished.

Hiruzen jumped up, responding faster than even the Mizukage could, despite his age. But as Jiraiya turned to attack, Orochimaru darted past him and grabbed the old man, leaping off.

"Kazekage-sama!", the remaining guard of the dying man exclaimed.

"We've been.. Used", the Kazekage coughed. "Baki.. Stop him.. They will ruin Sunagakure…"

* * *

"It's the sign", Kabuto said to his fellow traitors. "Commence the attack."

Within seconds, the audience saw feathers flying through the entire arena, and most fell asleep. Most, but not the jonin who stood at guard. Which was expected, but Kabuto still did not feel comfortable. The key in their plan had been the distraction created by that Sabaku no Gaara.. '_With his failure, we are at a disadvantage.. I better move quickly, and get the target out, as Orochimaru-sama ordered..'_, he dropped the anbu mask he had stolen earlier that day, corrected his glasses, and jumped off.

The shinobi of Otogakura would have to handle the remaining resistance. Even though Orochimaru only brought along his less successful experiments and other disposable fighter, they still outnumbered their opponents.

* * *

With the siblings from Sunagakure still distracted by Gaara's fall, Shikamaru was the first to notice something had happened where the kages were seated. He nodded at Haku. "Kagemane no jutsu, success", the lazy genin remarked. "Haku, can you make sure they are immobilized?"

"Some ice should be sufficient", Haku said calmly. "I would rather not use any more permant methods.." He walked over and touched their hands, which were clamped together due to Shikamaru's influence.

"Hurry, my jutsu will not hold much longer.."

"Why don't we stop this", Temari sighed. "Personally, I have no interest in the stupid plan my father came up with, and I would rather focus on helping my brother. Naruto promised me not to kill Gaara, so we could better go down there, before someone else does.."

"Temari!", Kankuro spurred his eyes open. "Would you betray.."

"Yes, Kankuro! I recognize stupidity when I see is", Temari snarled. "Father is being tricked, you too should realize this. He would never had done this if he was his normal self!"

* * *

Everything hurt.

So much.. Pain?

But… He lived. He knew he was alive. But how? Despite the pain, he tried to open his eyes.

Blue skies. He blinked. What was this feeling of tranquillity? He had been defeated. Why was he still alive?

Why was it so silent?

Something caught his attention. The blond boy looked at him. Gaara saw the exhaustion on the boy's face. The victor of their battle. He had won, but how? '_Why was mother afraid of him? Was his demon really so much stronger?'_

"Why..", Gaara coughed, his throat dry. "Why did you not kill me?", he softly spoke.

"Why would I?", Naruto frowned, while continuing his preparation. Gaara turned his head and saw the blond draw something. "Killing you would only create more trouble. Besides, why should I kill someone who has the same burden as I have?"

"You.. Why? I lost, so what purpose does my life have?"

"Does life even need to have purpose?", Naruto wondered. "I do not know.. I just promised not to kill you, if that would satisfy you."

"Promised? Then what.. What are you doing?"

"You should thank your sister if this works out. She was the one who gave me this opportunity", Naruto smiled weakly. "Because of her, I found a way out, without having to kill you."

"Temari? Why would she.."

"Whatever you were turning in to, you were still her little brother", Naruto explained patiently, while staring at the last few line he had just drawn. "Enough to defy the Kazekage's orders, and give me the information I need to strengthen that seal of yours.."

"You would do that? But.. Why?"

Naruto chuckled, after he had nodded approvingly at his drawing. Most of it he had already prepared, but without precisely knowing Gaara's seal, there was no way of preparing a complete seal. "Your death would only have increased the chance that there would be war. While your survival increases the chances of peace. Besides, don't you wish to break from the hold that the Ichibi has over you?"

Gaara blinked. Why would his sister care? Why would Naruto care? He didn't understand, but felt strange… Grateful. He was truly defeated, at every point. "Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto.."

"Thank me when you survive this", Naruto said grimly. "If you survive this."

* * *

"More chakra?", the Kyuubi growled. "Now what, I only struck a deal with you to teach that one-tailed idiot a lesson, no more! Kill him, you stupid brat. You've never pitied anyone else, so don't go soft now.. Kill him right now!"

"Shut up", Naruto snapped. "I don't mind killing that Shukaku or whatever it's called. But Gaara is just like me, so I will not kill him. Even if I had not made that promise to his sister, killing him would only have created more problems."

"What do I care about the problems that the puny humans create. Your village treats us bijuu is their weapons. Their _property_. Let it burn! Let it all burn!"

Naruto smirked. "You really are a hothead, aren't you, fox?"

"WHAT?!", the Kyuubi roared.

"Think, and use that big head of yours. You hate Shukaku? Fine, if you really hate him that much then I present to you the worst thing that we can do: let him suffer in his prison, with no way out. If you had paid more attention, you would have know I planned to do this from the very start.."

The Kyuubi looked down on Naruto, and considered what was said as it calmed down. "You..", he laughed darkly. "Imprisonment you say.."

"Yeah, that's why I need more chakra: I plan to reinforce Gaara's seal, so that Shukaku's influence is reduced. You yourself have often said you hate your prison more than anything else. Well, then.."

"Cunning little brat", the Kyuubi smirked. "Fine then, I will help you once more.. But this is the last time.. Even my massive chakra has its limits, especially in this rotten place."

* * *

"Well, what do you choose? Hurry up!", Temari snarled at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed. '_What did he say again? "It might be that she does not want to attack you.. But make sure she doesn't aid the ones attacking Konoha." Troublesome_', Shikamaru recollected Naruto's words about Temari. '_It fits precisely with what she just said. And such promises sound exactly like something he would do. Plus, she isn't resisting my hold either..'_

"Well?", Temari demanded impatiently.

"We go down", Shikamaru decided. "I do not know what kind of crazy things Naruto has been planning, but he did hint that you might be doing something like this.. But do not think we would allow you to join the invaders, we go down there and get Naruto and Gaara to safety, that's it, alright?"

"Hmpf. Not as dense as I thought you were", Temari remarked. "Shut up Kankuro", she turned towards her brother. "Or they can freeze you in for all I care. It is time for you to see that father is wrong about this! He would never have done something like this before, he lost his mind!"

* * *

Even with the chakra he got from the Kyuubi, Naruto felt completely exhausted when he was finished with putting the extra seal on Gaara.

"Thank you", Gaara whispered again. "My head.. The voice.. Mother.. It is so silent.."

Naruto nodded and looked around. Seemed like the fighting had broken out in earnest. But Naruto knew he was in no shape to do much more. Whatever their plan was, he had taken down Gaara before he could be turned against Konoha. Still.. The sounds of battle disturbed him. But at least the Ichibi was no longer a threat to Konoha.

"How did you manage to survive.. With the seal.. Your demon, it is much more powerful", Gaara broke the silence between them.

"The seal that was put on me was far stronger.. I do not know what idiot made that seal you carry, but it was weak. Very weak. Especially because it contained at least two glaring mistakes.. Honestly, I am surprised you even managed to survive this long."

"It was that bad?", Gaara blinked. "Perhaps now.. Perhaps now I will no longer be a monster."

"People will always be afraid of us", Naruto said, pensively, and half to himself. People had now seen him, after all. "And out of their fear they will hate us, and call us monsters. Jinchuriki. But people are merely afraid of us because they do not understand us. I do not think we should make the mistake of hating them back. If you hate something back, it will only make you fall to their level. I do not wish to be as they are. I want to be better."

Gaara looked at him, and his confusion was rather obvious. In fact, he just showed more emotions then Naruto had seen in this past month.

Naruto sighed. "They may think we do not fit into their beliefs of how the world should be, but the world never is as we want it to be. We live in the real world, not an illusion. So we should not make illusions either, we cannot afford it, as we would only be sad and angry when the lie shatters. And we both know what happens when _we_ lose control.."

Gaara looked at his seal. "If I had fully released Shukaku today.. I might have lost control permanently. Father knew… He said it was an acceptable risk", Gaara added harshly.

"Yeah.. People do tend to use us, don't they?", Naruto smirked weakly. "That's why we should better stick together. After all, there are only nine of us, at most. Every human being is unique, but we are simply a bit more unique, and thus we also stand out more than any other. That is our burden, what we have to endure. People will always watch us. But that is also our chance, because when we stand out, we can also give the proper example."

"You intend to lead them?", Gaara wondered. "The village? Those that hate you?"

"Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be Hokage", Naruto admitted. "First only to make the people respect me, but I now know it is not that simple.. My friends taught me that.. Respecting someone for their power is a far cry from respecting the person itself.. Mostly, that would just be based on fear. So, I will aim to become Hokage so that I can protect and guide the people. Even if it is from their own mistakes.."

Gaara looked surprised. "Is that what you fight for?"

"For my friends, for a better future", Naruto sighed. "Someone told me to never give up, and always hope that things will become better.. Ironic to say such things when we see each other's villages battle like this."

Gaara nodded.

* * *

Shikamaru, Haku, Temari, and Kankuro charged forward. For some reason, the hostile shinobi did not approach the two jinchuriki, but they did not allow any other to go near them either. It was the second time that day that Shikamaru swallowed away his fear when he saw Temari unleash her power. '_This is one hell of a troublesome girl'_, he frowned, a little concerned by the thought that he and Haku had planned to hold her down. Well, not that Haku seemed to care. Shikamaru considered that the boy from Kirigakure would be equally troublesome, even despite his kind nature.

"Gaara!", Temari shouted, landing near the two nearly motionless boys. "Are you.. Did it work?"

"Seems like it", Naruto chuckled weakly. "I would suggest that you fetch Jiraiya later on, and let him check on it. But it should be powerful enough to last at least for a while."

"You what? How did you pull that off?", Shikamaru exclaimed when he realized what Naruto had done.

"Thank you..", Temari said softly. Kankuro looked on and frowned.

"Why did you do this? Why save Gaara? It would have been easier if.."

"Did you want war? If Gaara died, and Sunagarkure was left weakened", Naruto said determined. "Would you want that? A fourth shinobi world war, because of what, pride?"

"Calm down", Shikamaru interrupted. "Let's get the two of you to a safe place first."

"Ahh.. But I am afraid I cannot allow that, youngster..", an misshapen person spoke up. All the genin looked up in surprise and fear, as the newcomer revealed himself. Any shinobi that could sneak up on all of them would be good. Very good. And Genma's corpse behind him was only another warning.. "I suggest the four of you start running.. I have no interest in you weaklings. Only the demons.."

"I see.. You guys make sure to get Naruto to safety", Haku said, turning to their opponent. "I will handle this one.."

"Geh haha. What courage for someone so young..", the misshapen man laughed, revealing his face when he removed his straw hat. "You youngsters should know who you face.. Mere genin should not try to fight Sasori of the Red Sand", he chuckled with his inhuman face.

"Sasori.. No way, he disappeared..", Kankuro started. "Damn. Temari, you and that sloth take Gaara and Naruto away. NOW!"

"Tsk tsk", Sasori shook his head. "And I was even courteous enough to give you a chance to escape", he gestured with his arms wide, summoning a handful of puppets.

Kankuro summoned his puppets as well, but he saw that there was no way out anymore. His opponent had surrounded them.

"Now, hand over those jinchuriki.. My employer needs them", he said, still completely calm. "You didn't think Sunagakure came up with this plan, did you? I have spent months preparing and planting sleeper agents in this dumb village.. We only used Sunagakure to have Gaara here as well. But I must say that this turn of events was better than I had ever had dared to hope. The two morons took each other out, and now they are ripe for the picking..", he chuckled.

"So you really were after us.. Let me guess, you are part of Akatsuki, just as Orochimaru?", Yugito spoke up, after she had jumped down.

"Hmm now that is unexpected.. You were supposed to be forbidden to attack as long as you were not attacked first, and yet here you are…", Sasori sounded a bit careful now. "But a monster more or less.. Who cares what happens to you, right?"

"You dare…", Yugito hissed softly. "You bunch of cowards… Children, taken Naruto and Gaara to a safe place, up there", she pointed to a section of the arena. "This pathetic excuse of a shinobi is mine!"

None of them had to think twice to follow the woman's orders when she released an incredible amount of chakra. Two carrying each jinchuriki, the little group sprinted away.

"Now you will burn..", Yugito smirked.

"You.. Were forbidden.. To release", Sasori stammered, not expecting his opponent to go all out. "It would be sealed when you were outside Kumogakure!"

"I got permission..", Yugito growled, covered by blue flames. Had this idiot really thought that Jiraiya would be unable to remove the seal her Raikage ordered her to wear? Besides, no one ever ordered her to not remove the seal, so she had not violated her leader's command either.

* * *

Naruto turned his head and saw the unleashed form of the Nibi confront Sasori. He looked up and saw something else: a large barrier on top of a building. Shikamaru followed his look. "Seems like something bad is happening in there..", he frowned, for once not lazily. "I don't suppose you can do something about it?"

"I can.. I think.. I should", Naruto sighed. "Temari, Shikamaru, would you two be willing to bring me there? I got a bit of chakra left, so I should be able to create an opening.. For a moment.. I do not know what is going on, but I think I feel that Orochimaru inside that barrier."

"You want to..", Temari frowned. "I see, so we have to get you there safely.. Should be doable, at least if that lazy ass can keep up."

"Hey!", Shikamaru protested. "Ugh.. I supposed we should do it.. Damn, this will get me killed for sure.."

"Coward", Temari smirked.

"Haku", Naruto shouted towards the boy in front of him. "You three continue, we have something else to do first."

* * *

"Hold it right there..", Kurenai hissed. "Why did you three come here?"

"We're taking Gaara out of the chaos down there", Haku said calmly. "I hope you two are willing to ensure the safety of Sabaku no Gaara and his brother Kankuro."

"We hand ourselves over", Gaara said, his voice as weak as he looked like right now. "You are the sensei of Uzumaki Naruto, aren't you?"

Kurenai frowned and nodded.

"Naruto reinforced my seal.. I owe him, and Konoha. I swear to you that neither I nor my siblings will resist our captivity."

"You turn yourselves over? Willingly?", Asuma frowned, having trouble to believe them. "Why?"

"The blond brat saved my brother. Now we are supposed to owe him..", Kankuro said dryly. "Besides, I just heard that Sunagakure was tricked into this mess, so I have no intention of throwing away my life for a mere lie.."

"Guard them closely, please. There are others.. Pursuing the jinchuriki", Haku said. "Yugito-sama is taking care of the situation. But I must aid Mizukage-sama now."

Haku bowed shortly, and vanished.

"Kurenai, you wake up Rock Lee and Choji", Asuma said after a moment of thinking. "If that kid is right we can expect more attackers at this place, and we can't look after those two and fight at the same time.."

* * *

**A/N:** So.. The manga is coming to an end soon. Not that the last few chapters would exuse it to continue much longer. Recent chapter most of all.. The disappointment threw me into a writing-fit, publishing this much earlier than planned haha.

This is the first part of the invasion, which will span three chapters. After which, I plan to do one (long) chapter with the aftermath of the invasion. And if I do not get a writers block, I hope to give you Chie's backstory after that! And then we move on into the next 'arc'. So you know my planning. And the only way to bribe me into working harder..

... yes, you guessed it: **reviews**! And we're approaching the 100K views already! I'm (almost) sorry for being such a slave to statistics. But I had never expected so much attention for a story of which I had long doubted if I should publish it or not.. :)

-Z-

_Regarding Gaara's strength_: One thing that I forgot to note in my previous chapters is this: I basically kept the chunin candidates at about the same level of power/ability as in the manga, however, I made two exceptions: Naruto is obviously the first, as his training makes him quite a bit stronger compared to manga Naruto. The second, however, would be Gaara, as I wanted a bigger difference between 'normal' humans and jinchuriki. Part of it is also because I wanted to avoid having to follow the manga in terms of sprinkling around illogical powerups in the second part of the story. Not to mention that I wanted to make it Naruto's first time to meet an 'equal' opponent! Of course, both boys are not completely equal, as I made Naruto a lot more skilled, while Gaara only relied on his manipulation of sand. Thus, I gave Gaara the advantage in terms of raw strength, while Naruto has the advantage of skill. This way, they were pretty much equal. Though Naruto's planning gave him the upper hand, of course – thanks to InariNineTails for making me realize that I neglected to properly explain this subject.


	32. Invasion pt2: Fall

**Invasion pt2: Fall**

* * *

previously

* * *

_The disguised guard stepped forward, and bowed to the Kazekage. "You have served us well, but it seems your usefulness has come to an end", Orochimaru whispered, as he ran his poisoned blade through the Yondaime Kazekage._

"_You.. Traitor..", the man gurgled._

_Hiruzen jumped up, responding faster than even the Mizukage could, despite his age. But as Jiraiya turned to attack, Orochimaru darted past him and grabbed the old man, leaping off._

"_Kazekage-sama!", the remaining guard of the dying man exclaimed. _

"_We've been.. Used", the Kazekage coughed. "Baki.. Stop him.. They will ruin Sunagakure…"_

* * *

"Baki.. Recall our troops", the Kazekage uttered his final words.

"I will, my lord", Baki bowed his head in sorrow, as the light left his leader's eyes.

Terumi Mei was especially interested by the Kazekage's last words. With Orochimaru taking away the Hokage, Jiraiya had charged after them. With no one else around, the Mizukage was free to act as she saw fit. '_They? So it isn't just Orochimaru pulling the strings?'_

"Zabuza", she nodded to her strongest guard. "Restrain this man."

"Yes, Mizukage-sama", Zabuza smirked, happy to finally get some action. But to his disappointment, the famous Baki of the Winds did not put up any resistance. He barely even looked away from his fallen leader.

"Tell me, Baki", Mei started. "How many are still outside the gates?"

"A few hundred", Baki groaned, after Zabuza had to 'encourage' him a little with a hard kick in his back. "We were supposed to be backed by an even greater number from Otogakure.. But now Orochimaru betrayed us.. I do not know, it almost seems like a ploy to weaken both Sunagakure and Konohagakure at once."

"Hmm..", the Mizukage looked down on the one-eyed jonin. "With the demise of the Kazekage, you are the highest authority of Sunagakure around here, aren't you?"

"I am.. I.. We, the jonin, had our reservations about the plan that Kazekage-sama had, but we had little choice..", Baki almost apologized. "But now that we.."

"Silence", Mei ordered him. "Tsurugi, take this man to the gates and make sure he gives the orders to retreat. If now, kill him and help the defenders from Konoha, along with your detachment." She looked at her other guard, the head of Kirigakure's hunter-nin, as he hurried away. The black haired man showed the scars to prove his experience, and she knew full well that he would be up to his task.

"Zabuza, you make sure that this area is cleansed", she ordered the swordsmen. "I wouldn't be surprised if Otogakure would make a move on one of the jinchuriki. Make sure they do not succeed.."

"But.. My lady, your guard…", he protested.

"Shut up", Mei remarked. "I'm only going for a walk.. I promise I won't do anything too exciting, ok?", she smiled.

"Though I'm seriously going to kill you if anything happens to those jinchuriki", she added before vanishing from his sight.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama?", Shizune asked. "What are you going to do?"

The blonde woman sighed. "I was foolish enough to promise the old man to help defending Konoha during this exam.. Dammit, I expected it would merely be a false alarm! Me and my rotten luck.."

"But you are still going to fight?"

"I gave my word..", Tsunade frowned. "And it looks like I won't get bored either.. Orochimaru and his ugly snakes."

"They are rather huge..", Shizune frowned as well. "Shall I take down the Oto-nins while you focus on the snakes?", she suggested, knowing her master's 'disposition'.

Tsunade smirked. Even though she had forsworn fighting, she couldn't ignore the old feeling of anxiety that she always used to feel before battles started. Not that she had to face someone like Hanzo today. At least, she couldn't imagine that Orochimaru had any S-ranked shinobi working for him. And preferrably, she wouldn't even have to fight other humans today.

In fact, she wasn't even sure if she would be capable to take any more human lives..

"Let's move", Tsunade said after she summoned Katsuyu, the mighty slug that always aided her during battle. "Katsuyu, attack all those who dare to attack Konohagakure. Also, leave some of your fragments behind to heal those on our side that get wounded. Use as much of my chakra as you deem fit."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Standing on top of an apartment building a little while later, Tsunade couldn't help but be somewhat troubled when seeing the extent of the damage done to Konoha. Together with Shizune and Katsuyu, Tsunade had made short work of the invaders in their sector, and she had seen the Mizukage's rampage as well.

The female leader from the Hidden Mist left molten and vaporized victims in her wake, in such ways that even Tsunade was curious to see what kind of skills the woman could use. Small wonder that she was named Mizukage, if this woman wielded this kind of power.

No, what worried Tsunade more were the reports she had heard of traitors among Konoha's ranks. Shinobi who suddenly turned on their own, and even shouted warnings to their friend while attacking them. Something was controlling them.. But what? Orochimaru had always had an odd fascination for dangerous and rare bloodlines. But Tsunade couldn't think of any bloodline aside from the Yamanaka that would be able to do something like this. But those techniques could never be applied on such scale. And those whose minds were overtaken would not try to warn others. It almost felt like..

A puppet master?

"We have to look for someone who might be controlling those 'traitors' among our own ranks", Tsunade notified her party. "It would appear that all the larger snakes have been taken down now, but I think our main focus should be defending the walls.."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama", Katsuyu and Shizune answered, while the latter was wondering if Tonton – who they had left in the shelters – was still alright..

* * *

"You.. Were forbidden.. To release", Sasori stammered, not expecting his opponent to go all out. Akatsuki had intel that the Raikage himself had restricted the woman's power whenever she got over the border. How could it be that this blonde woman defied those orders?

"I got permission!", Yugito growled, covered by blue flames. "The moment you started hunting my kind, you Akatsuki scum.. Though I guess your little spy did not tell you about that promise I made? Or did he fail to notice that Jiraiya-sama removed that restraint?"

Blue flames erupting from her body, and it only took moments before Sasori had to look up against the monsterous apparition of the Nibi. The monsterous two-tailed bijuu, ungulfed in blue flames, with amounts of chakra even more vast than those Sasori had felt when Gaara unleashed Shukaku, now confronted him. '_This is unfortunate..My chakra reserves took quite a hit.. And my poisons would be pointless against her, so I guess I am forced to summon _him_', _Sasori considered his best course of actions, while his opponent transformed. '_Though this fight will not in my advantage, not when I have spent so much chakra on turning my 'collection' here in Konoha against their own.. I should make this quick.'_

He took a scroll from under his mantle, and summoned a black-haired humanoid puppet. "Meet the Sandaime Kazekage, my most prized puppet", Sasori chuckled. The puppet charged at the transformed Yugito, lashing out with a large claw attached to its arm. But the poisoned blade on the claw never reached their intended target: the two-tailed demon simply lashed out, and ripped the entire arm away.

'_Terribly fast, despite its size_', Sasori analysed. '_Odd.. With such a size, she should be far too heavy to move like that. But it is like I feared.. I really have to resort to that jutsu.'_

The now one-armed puppet jumped back to create a safe distance between it and the cat-like demon, and opened its mouth. It spewed out a large cloud of black sand, which started floating around it.

* * *

"Satetsu, the iron sand", Yugito frowned. "That is quite a powerful asset… I wonder how this guy managed to recreate that jutsu with a puppet.."

"It is not just a puppet", Matatabi, the two-tailed bijuu, answered her master. "Somehow, the original third Kazekage was turned into.. That.."

Yugito scowled. "All the more reason to finish this quickly."

"Yes, Yugito-sama."

To Matatabi, becoming a puppet was the ultimate insult to any being. It was the ultimate form of enslavement. And it remembered her far too much about her own fate. Well, their fate, as Yugito never had much choice in the matter either..

* * *

The iron sands shaped into a enormous scythe, lashing out at the Bijuu. For a moment, Sasori felt a spark of hope, as the black weapon pierced the monster. But it did not do any damage. '_Is she even solid, or just the mass of blue flames she appears to be?_', Sasori scowled.

Slightly off guard, Sasori hardly saw the Nibi move, and his response to withdraw his puppet was a fraction too late. In one jump, the cat landed next to the puppet, and spitted one fireball at it.

One extremely powerful fireball.

Konoha trebled as the explosion engulfed the area. Within a mile of it, all windows shattered under the pressure of the blast. This was not human jutsu. No, this was the unleashed fury of one of the nine sacred demons itself.

In the onslaught, Sasori found himself far too close to his puppet. If it hadn't been for his armour... But now, with his prized puppet obliterated, and even his own shell of armour completely blasted apart, Sasori stood in his real form: a red-haired and brown-eyed young boy, wearing the Akatsuki-cloak. For the puppet master, it felt almost as if being nude, after not having revealed his true form to any opponent in many years.

"Ugh.. This entire crater created by one single fireball.. Time for me to go.. There is no use in dragging on this fight", Sasori mumbled. "They weren't kidding around, when they said that this jinchuriki was supposed to be the second most dangerous one around, after that eight-tailed jinchuriki. Well, at least while those other two are still brats.. Damned demons.."

Sasori turned and jumped, believing that his fast and agile form would be more than enough to evade the rampaging monster. Sasori knew that with the disadvantage of his mostly depleted chakra reserves, and an opponent covered with those accursed blue flames, none of his puppets would be able to subdue this opponent. None of their weapons or poisons could hope to damage that demonic being.

Evasion was the only way to ensure continued survival.

How wrong he was..

But how could he have known that the Nibi was this fast? Zetsu had never mentioned this in his reports! Matatabi lunged forward, its claws ripping apart Sasori's legs. But they were merely parts of a puppet. '_Even this body is a puppet?'_, Yugito wondered. '_No.. There.. That is the source of his chakra.'_

Matatabi grabbed the fleeing Akatsuki member, who tried to get away despite the fact that his legs were torn of, and pinned the puppet down on the ground.

All across Konoha, a large pillar of flames could be seen. Not a bright and roaring pillar like the one that Naruto had used earlier, but rather an enormous cyclone of blue flames. These flames consumed Sasori, while the transformed Yugito calmly stood in in centre of that destruction. She could not be hurt by her own fire. Just like the nine-tails, the jinchuriki of the two-tails also had an incredible resistance against fire.

Unlike the wooden frame of Sasori's 'body'.

* * *

Terumi Mei once again swore to herself that she, as Mizukage of Kirigakure, would never allow war to touch her village. Konohagakure was crawling with people who were extinguishing fires, or saving people who got trapped under collapsed buildings, or the countless wounded that were brought to the hospitals. War was hell. Mei shuddered when she thought what destruction the Ichibi could have cause if it had not been stopped. The nightmares of the civil wars still haunted her at night, but what she saw now resembled much of that chaos.

On the brighter side, the shinobi from Sunagakure were stopped in front of the walls surrounding Konoha, and would soon leave. Unless Baki would do something foolish. Which would cost him his life, knowing Tsurugi. After all, the head of her ruthless hunter nins was not exactly known to be very merciful to anyone who dared to break their word. Meanwhile, the giant snakes that were supposed to breach the perimeter were 'disabled' by the sannin Tsunade.

Despite knowing that Tsunade had more or less retired years ago, to Mei it seemed like the older woman still lived up to her reputation. The ease at which she disposed of the humongous reptiles with nothing more than her overwhelming brute strength surprised Mei a bit. Small wonder Tsunade was this famous, just like her infamous teammates. The only thing that confused Mei was that Tsunade did not attack other shinobi, but rather let her assistant and her summon take care of her human opponents.

'_I heard the rumours about her reasons to retire as a shinobi.. Is it true that she cannot fight other shinobi anymore?'_, Mei wondered. '_It would explain why she did not use any ninjutsu.. Though, she is impressive enough as it is.'_

Not that Mei considered herself weaker. Not anymore. The legendary Tsunade had once been an example to the young Mei, when she was a girl. To Mei, it was the living proof that gender did not matter, that women could easily be as strong as men. Even in their prejudiced world. And now, after all those years and efforts, Mei too had become an example of the heights kunoichi could reach. The molten carcasses of her enemies were the silent and smouldering proof of her prowess.

"Now what is that", Mei mumbled, seeing a huge pillar of blue flames arise in the arena. "I thought I felt something off.. So it really was the Nibi. Geh, it seems like all the strongest women of our world are gathered here", Mei smirked.

Not long after, she noticed that the Konoha shinobi were no longer tormented by the traitors in their own ranks.

* * *

_A little bit earlier_.

* * *

Haruki watched in horror as he saw Sabaku no Gaara release the demonic being inside him. Memories of seeing the Kyuubi attack Konoha flooded his mind as he saw and felt the horrible chakra from the one-tailed bijuu.

"So this is what a jinchuriki is capable of..", Ako whispered, her eyes wide open in shock. "Please watch out Naruto.."

The others remained silent. Chie sat there, vigilant, while the genin showed a mixture or pure horror and deep worry for their teammate and friend.

But Haruki had noticed that Naruto had a plan. And the all-consuming pillar of fire confirmed his idea. The demon tried to get out, but was blinded, while the hellish fires quickly melted its feet. '_This battle is inhuman.. How did Naruto progress to this level? Where are his limits?',_ Haruki wondered, as he saw his protégé struggle to keep the jutsu active. Even though the boy had the chakra from the Kyuubi as a backup, this was still an amazing display of skill and power. Haruki thought back at the times when little Naruto had been struggling to do even the – to them – simplest exercises in chakra control.

And now the world could see Naruto for who he was. Not a monster, but the future Hokage. The display erased the last of Haruki's doubts regarding the boy's dream. No one could even underestimate Naruto again. And the jinchuriki of Konoha was still so young, with so much potential to grow. How powerful would Naruto become? Haruki felt proud. Proud enough to almost move this stoic man to tears. Well.. More than just almost. But he wiped the drops away before others would notice.

As the fiery pillar vanished, and the molten remains of the Ichibi shattered, Haruki noticed something else. Someone had activated a genjutsu. Not a powerful one, but considering the scale of it.. This was no simple trick.

"Release!", Haruki barked, and turned to the others. Chie shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the jutsu, as an apparent effect of her near-perfect chakra control. But the others were fast asleep. Not that Haruki thought Hinata would normally have fallen for this.. But she was very distracted by the scene below them.

* * *

Kabuto saw that many jonin and even some of the more capable chunin had resisted the genjutsu. Which was expected, but Kabuto still did not feel comfortable. The key in their plan had been the distraction created by that Sabaku no Gaara.. '_With his failure, we are at a disadvantage.. I better move quickly, and get the target out of here, as Orochimaru-sama ordered.._', he dropped the anbu mask he had stolen earlier that day, corrected his glasses, and jumped off.

Landing on the edge, Kabuto smirked. One of her was unlucky enough to resist the genjutsu. "You should've stayed down", the traitor whispered, coolly. "It would have spared you a lot of pain.."

* * *

Haruki turned to Ako and wanted to dispel the genjutsu that was put on her when he noticed someone had jumped down behind him. "What are you doing here?", Haruki asked, as calmly as possible. Haruki knew all too well that his body made it impossible for him to engage in a real fight.

'_Something is off.. Anbu without a mask, but without traces of a fight that would justify him not wearing it..', _Haruki looked at the newcomer. '_It would seem that this was inevitable.'_

"Why don't you step aside", the young man remarked. Haruki saw the man's circular glasses, and the onyx eyes behind them. Along with the ash-grey hair, this man had a rather unobtrusive appearance.

"Why are you here?", Haruki asked, gesturing Chie to stand down.

"Isn't it obvious?", the young man remarked calmly. "Right behind you I see the heir of one of Konoha's most powerful clans, and she's sitting here without being protected by her own clan.. Quite an easy target, don't you say?"

"So.. An infiltrator.."

"Not really", the man shrugged. "Officially, I am still a genin from Konoha, who participated but failed during the exam. It doesn't mean that I wasn't loyal to Orochimaru-sama to begin with.. So then, I'd say I've already wasted enough time on you, Haruki-san."

"How do you.."

"Did you think Orochimaru-sama was not aware of Hyuga Hinata taking this specific place?", Kabuto smirked. He lashed out and Haruki was blown aside. His older, and by illness crippled, body was no match.

"Tsk.. I do not know why Orochimaru-sama would send me out to deal with this pathetic jonin. Clearly, his illness has already progressed to such a stage that even one of the failed experiments could have dealt with him.. Now, let's take little miss Hyuga here…", Kabuto mumbled to himself. A five-foot black and white cat-like creature stood in front of him. It's long tail waved behind it.

"So, glasses-two-leg", Chie growled. "Let's dance.."

* * *

Haruki groaned. He felt that several bones had snapped. Not very surprised, seeing how the poison had also started to affect his bones, after previously eating away his muscles. He opened his eyes and saw Chie darting around the grey-haired traitor. '_How did Orochimaru know about our location?_', Haruki wondered. Silently, he tried to get up, but his broken left arm and his cracked ribs caused him too much pain to supress a groan.

'_So this is the end..', _he sighed. He smiled gently, seeing the beautiful serene face of his wife again. '_Soon, my dear.. I will be with you soon. But first I have to do something. Who would have imagined that I, with my broken body, would still get the honour of dying in battle…'_

Focussing his chakra and pushing his body to the limit, Haruki managed to regain his footing. The attacker had disabled Chie with several senbon, and was now bending over Hinata, examining her as he was mumbling something about 'perfect health'.

Trembling, but still noiselessly, Haruki stood up.

Kabuto's eyes widened when he felt a hit on his back. Flipping around, he bashed Haruki in his face. "Why didn't you just stay..", Kabuto started.

Shock.

Kabuto felt his body move uncontrollably. His chakra fluctuated. "What the.. Juken?", Kabuto growled in annoyance. "Do you really think I cannot heal a little damage like that?"

"How.. How many times did feel me hit you?", Haruki coughed, his mouth filled with blood. He smirked, weakly but nonetheless proud. "I was the man responsible for training Uzumaki Naruto, you should never have underestimated me.." Another fit of coughing. "Did you.. Really think.. I had not developed myself beyond the normal juken.. Brat?"

"What did you do to me?", Kabuto demanded, starting to panic because he could not feel his own chakra any more.

"Naruto has chakra coils far stronger than any normal person, so I had to change my style in order to properly take him down during the matches we had when he was a boy..", Haruki said, his pride obvious to Kabuto. "How do you think he could block Neji's juken so easily.. Your heart is damaged, traitor.. Now die!"

Haruki stepped forward, not caring about his own injuries, nor did he bother to consider his own survival. He knew he was a dead man anyway, even if he somehow managed to recover from his current injuries with his broken body, the poison would still claim him.

How many years had it been? Eight? Nine? How he felt his body slowly crumble from that one poisoned kunai that had hit him on that unfortunate day. It had been his punishment, being too reckless after his beloved had died. But only now he truly regretted it. '_I am sorry, Naruto.. I wish I could have seen you grow even further_', Haruki thought, smiling with the picture of an older Naruto wearing the Hokage's hat in his mind, as his chakra-enveloped hand struck Kabuto's throat.

Not even the kunai that Kabuto had pointed at him made Haruki stop. He did not even feel it pierce his stomach. There was no pain.

All he felt was joy.

Liberation.

'_I am here, Minako_', Haruki smiled, seeing his beloved reach to him.

She was a beautiful as the first day he had ever seen her. Her warm embrace filled him with peace, as was comforted by the familiar smell of her hair. It had been so long…

'_I missed you, Haruki..'_

* * *

When Chie regained consciousness, she moved over to wake her friends. Disrupting the chakra flow from a genjutsu was easy for her. She saw the corpse of glasses-two-leg lying on the ground, his hands still grasping his own throat, with a puddle of blood near his mouth.

As much as she rejoiced that her attacker had perished, Chie knew that she had to wake her friends, before other attackers would come.

But Haruki would not wake. Her dazed mind first did not understand. She saw his content smile, as he leaned back at the wall. Then saw the kunai, stuck in his stomach. But he did not breathe. And his eyes were not white, as they were supposed to be.

There was no chakra.

There was no pulse.

Then she understood. A stab in her heart, one she had not felt for many years..

"Farewell, Haruki-san", Chie bowed her head, with a voice mixed with sorrow and guilt.

* * *

**A/N**: Goodbye Haruki.

And yes, I intended to kill Kabuto from the very start. I would hate to only repeat the original storyline. And by removing him, a lot of the future storyline can be altered, giving me a lot more freedom! But, first things first: the invasion isn't over yet.. Orochimaru and Hiruzen still have their 'meeting', after all. That said, I don't have an eta for the next chapter, but it'll take a bit more time than this one. After all, I've written the second half of this chapter a long time ago, making writing this chapter quickly an easy job!

-Z-


	33. Invasion pt3: Last ditch effort

**Invasion pt3: Last ditch effort**

* * *

previously

* * *

_The disguised guard stepped forward, and bowed to the Kazekage. "You have served us well, but it seems your usefulness has come to an end," Orochimaru whispered, as he ran his poisoned blade through the Yondaime Kazekage._

"_You… traitor…" the man gurgled._

_Hiruzen jumped up, responding faster than even the Mizukage could, despite his age. But as Jiraiya turned to attack, Orochimaru darted past him and grabbed the old man, leaping off. Jiraiya charged after them._

* * *

Jiraiya cursed. Embarrassingly enough, two shinobi had stalled him enough for Orochimaru to create a barrier that prevented him from reaching his sensei. "Sarutobi-sensei, be careful with that snake," Jiraiya whispered, knowing full well how troubled the old man was that his former favourite student had betrayed him (and Konoha) like that.

Jiraiya thought about Naruto, and finally realized he could empathize with Hiruzen's feelings a bit. If Jiraiya was ever forced to fight Naruto, would he have been able to kill without mercy? Small wonder that Orochimaru had been able to get away when his hideous experiments were uncovered. And that incident was years ago, when Sarutobi Hiruzen, even though past his prime, was still a formidable shinobi. '_Well, he still is formidable, but his age has clearly weakened him.. And Orochimaru never fought honestly either…'_

It bothered him that he had been stalled like this. Two shinobi, whom he recognized to be candidates from Konoha who had failed the Chunin exam during the second stage, had tried to distract him, and attacked him after Jiraiya had ignored them. Even though they were supposed to be genin, they easily possessed the skill to be chunin. And their annoying skills only led to more time being wasted. '_Chakra absorption and a snake-like body modification.. Seems like Orochimaru has not stopped at collecting blood limits and experimenting to create new ones',_ Jiraiya sighed.

And now what- four of Orochimaru's henchmen had created a barrier which had a quality that surprised him. With no time to prepare for his sage mode, Jiraiya had to either bust the barrier with an extremely strong attack, or find a way to bypass it. '_Dammit.. Why don't I have Naruto's crazy ability to see through these damned barriers?_' he thought about his student, who usually could spot weak points in barrier by just touching them.

But with four seemingly highly-skilled shinobi keeping the barrier up, damaging the barrier would be one hell of a task. Even if one corner weakened, the other three could aid and restore the weakened side.

"Ahh dammit… more distractions," Jiraiya uttered when he saw a small contingent of Otogakure shinobi approach.

* * *

Carrying the near-exhausted Naruto in between them, Shikamaru and Temari hurried towards the barrier. When they got nearer, Shikamaru began to wonder why he always had to have such a big mouth, which always led him into troublesome situations like these.

Even worse, the girl next to him was ever scarier than his own mother- which was a monumental feat, especially in his books. Mothers can be damned scary, especially because they always seem to be able to look straight through you. Not that Shikamaru even bothered to attempt to lie to his, he was too lazy, and knew full well that it would fail anyway. His father was renowned for his intelligence, but Shikamaru knew that his mother was not far behind him. If it wasn't even the other way around. After all, his father didn't have the guts to lie to her either..

But with Temari, he almost pitied the few Otogakure shinobi that had dared to get too close. Obviously, this Temari had never been at the level of a regular genin. She was far too troublesome for that. Though, with a little attention to proper timing, his Kagemane no jutsu worked pretty well along with her jutsu. He just needed to release his victims a moment before Temari lashed out at them, or receive their blows as well, which was far too troublesome.

* * *

With remarkably little resistance, the three arrived at their destination. Naruto was a bit suspicious. '_If this is a full-blown invasion, there should have been more attackers at this place. This feels more like some kind of diversion. Perhaps that ugly-looking guy was right about Gaara and me being the real targets?'_

Then again, what was that Orochimaru doing inside this barrier? This near to it, Naruto could easily sense the malice that Orochimaru radiated. '_Why would he seal himself off in the middle of an invasion?_' Naruto wondered.

Shikamaru and Temari paid more attention to their surroundings. A large number of corpses were littered around the barrier, and all of them seemed to have Otogakure forehead protectors. '_So this is why we could get here with so little resistance,_' Shikamaru realized. '_I thought it was strange that there wouldn't be any guards when the arena itself was attacked by such a number. But now what?_'

"Naruto, can you get through this barrier?" Shikamaru urged him. "I'd prefer not to stick around this place too long…"

"Tsk, coward," Temari shook her head. "It's not like those fools from the Hidden Sound posed any threat…"

"Stop your bickering, please," Naruto sighed when Shikamaru tried to protest. Unsteadily, he walked towards the barrier. "Hmm… fire-based, four corners… also four people keeping it up? Impressive…"

"What are you doing in this place, brat?"

"Yeah, hello to you too, ero-sennin," Naruto mumbled. "Purple flames though… why purple?"

"What are you trying to do?" Jiraiya sighed. "You're obviously already exhausted. Look at you, you can barely stand up straight!"

Naruto shrugged, and took a few steps to the left.

"And why did you two bring him here? And why is someone from Sunagakure on your side?" Jiraiya snapped, turning to Shikamaru. He had been frustrated long enough, and annoyed by all the pesky shinobi who continuously distracted him from breaking down the barrier.

Temari looked at the man, intimidated by the magnitude of chakra the sannin radiated, and somewhat frightened by his wild behavior. Shikamaru was equally shaken, but decided to cut off the older man's rant. "We brought Naruto here because he said he could open the barrier."

"Open it?" Jiraiya exclaimed. "Don't you think I would already have done it if it was that easy?"

"Whatever this Orochimaru has been planning to do in this invasion, this barrier is part of it," Shikamaru countered. "Naruto offered a way to disrupt his plans."

"He's exhausted! Do you want to kill him?"

"Relax, ero-sennin," Naruto said, calm though unable to hide the exhaustion from his voice. "I can only create an opening, so if you want to go through you should take the opportunity.. I still have some of the Kyuubi's chakra left, but it will probably only last for a second. Just count yourself lucky that this thing is fire-based," Naruto frowned. His hand was covered in purple flames when he touched the barrier, but as usual fire proved to be harmless to him. Much easier than to have to waste chakra to protect himself as well..

"I do not know what this Orochimaru is planning," Naruto continued, while Jiraiya was still distracted. "You should probably stop him from whatever he is doing though…"

Jiraiya nodded. "That would leave you completely defenseless. Can you promise me that you won't get yourself killed? If you deplete all of your chakra…"

"We won't let him do something that stupid," Shikamaru promised.

* * *

Caught off guard by the sudden assassination of the Kazekage, Hiruzen had reacted too late to prevent Orochimaru from dragging him to the top of nearest building. There, four of Orochimaru's henchmen had created a barrier, trapping Hiruzen.

"So, Orochimaru… what are you planning?" Hiruzen frowned. "I thought this day would come eventually… but, you won't get my head so easily."

Orochimaru smirked, he had his arm around the old man's throat and still he did not budge an inch. It was typical for his former sensei, although his bravado could not hide the truth: Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage, had become an old man.

"I told you already. You should hurry up and pick your successor… wisely," Orochimaru softly spoke. "Because… you will die here, old man…"

Hiruzen turned his head until he could see Orochimaru's face. "Are you that happy?" he smirked, seeing the tear in his former pupil's eye. "Or, do you still feel some small amount of sadness when you are trying to kill your own sensei?"

"Geh, don't be mistaken," Orochimaru scoffed, wiping the tear out of his eye. "I was just tired… I yawned and a tear leaked out, that's all…"

"Heh, I thought so," Hiruzen smiled. "It would not have been like you… you're not the type of man to act based solely on emotions… out of vengeance… other than your curiosity, you have neither goals nor reasons for the cruelties you commit."

"Hmm… perhaps… perhaps I do have a goal," Orochimaru mumbled. "I enjoy watching things in motion. The world is a dull place when things are at a standstill, isn't it? Chaos is much more interesting…"

Orochimaru let Hiruzen free, as he removed his disguise as the Kazekage's guard. "But I see you were expecting me.."

"It wasn't hard to figure out that you were up to something," Hiruzen said, removing his own hat and cloak. "All I wonder is whether you attacked Konoha out of your own wishes, or if you are truly the Akatsuki's puppet now…"

Orochimaru looked at the old man. He had not changed his fighting garb one bit, even after it had been over fifteen years since they had last fought each other. It was truly… nostalgic. Though Orochimaru felt a little insulted by the suggestion that he merely worked for someone else.

"Akatsuki is a useful tool for me, for now at least," Orochimaru hissed. "Right now, our goals are the same… a crumbling leaf. Your death would throw Konoha into chaos, and thereby disrupt the balance between nations."

Hiruzen shrugged. Akatsuki was shrouded in mysteries, with the only real knowledge about them being their name and that they were the world's best band of mercenaries. But he knew well enough that Orochimaru would not spill his secrets so easily. His former student had always had a preference for secrecy. And surely the chaos that Orochimaru mentioned would not be the goal of Akatsuki… he looked around. "And it looks like I won't be able to escape easily either…"

"As if you would intend to do such a thing," Orochimaru smiled. "You would rather not have anyone get in your way, right?"

Hiruzen smiled. Even though he started to feel his age, he would not have to worry too much about facing someone like Orochimaru. Besides, barriers like these should not be able to stop Jiraiya for too long…

* * *

It amused Orochimaru to no end. The 'professor' tried several attack patterns, but Orochimaru blocked or countered them all. To show his former sensei how much he had grown was something that Orochimaru had long wished to do. Orochimaru had not forgotten that he had been lucky to get away with his life the last time he faced Sarutobi Hiruzen.

And even now, he had to admit that the old man would have likely been able to hit him once or twice if he had been a little younger. His speed and chakra reserves may have dwindled, but the old man was still a formidable opponent. Not to mention that he had been Orochimaru's example when it came to his desire to learn jutsus.

But play-time was over.

By now, the reinforcements from Sunagakure would have reached Konoha's walls, which should have been breached by the snakes summoned by his subordinates from Otogakure. Although the Kyuubi brat had foiled his plans that had counted on the unleashed Ichibi to be another distraction, the pressure from outside should be sufficient for his loyal Kabuto to collect the doujutsu that Orochimaru wanted so badly- at least, until he got his hands on the sharingan; and sufficient for that Sasori to collect the jinchuriki brats without interference, and for he himself to deal with Sarutobi Hiruzen. Because this man would continue to be a nuisance to the goals of Akatsuki, with his stupid desire for peace. Good thing his most likely successor would be much more willing to create a little bit more tension in their world. No, Orochimaru knew he should not play around any longer.

"Your time is up, sensei," he hissed, while executing a fast series of hand seals. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei no jutsu!"

Hiruzen watched in shock and horror when two coffins rose up, revealing his predecessors upon opening. Hiruzen had only seen his sensei, the second Hokage, use the technique once. '_Of all people.. For him to summon those two..'_

"It's been a while, eh, monkey?" the second remarked.

"Monkey? Oh it's you… hmm, you've grown old Sarutobi," the first wondered.

"I would not have thought I would meet with you two brothers again in a situation like this… it is regrettable," Hiruzen sighed, his face completely serious now. Even though it was still a far cry from the second's jutsu, Orochimaru had managed to recreate this technique. And it was insulting that he had used it to defile the legendary Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages.

The second looked around. "So… you're the youngster who summoned us with the forbidden jutsu I invented, huh. Quite impressive… even if you lack proper control…"

"I suppose that would mean that we would have to fight against you, Saru," the first sighed.

But for some which reason Hiruzen could not comprehend, both of the previous kages were unable to move. Orochimaru was able to simply walk towards them and plant a kunai with a tag of his in their heads.

With another series of hand seals, Orochimaru increased the strength of his summons, which also made them look more… real. But Hiruzen could see that the jutsu took a heavy toll on the pale shinobi. Not that he would be able to exploit that weakness. Not with these two between them.

"How do you like seeing their true forms again, sensei?" Orochimaru smirked.

Hiruzen scowled. "They look a lot like all those years ago.. But they are still nowhere near the real men I once knew…"

"Perhaps," Orochimaru laughed. "But they are strong enough to beat you, old man… while I am controlling them." Seeing his sensei's glare only increased Orochimaru's amusement.

* * *

Jiraiya had seen some of what had transpired inside, but only vaguely because the fiery barrier had mostly blocked his view. But now that he was inside…

Naruto had exhausted his last chakra reserves on creating a gap long enough for Jiraiya to slip inside. Jiraiya was glad that the kid would now be taken to a safe place, accompanied by Gamaken.

And knowing who he had to face, Jiraiya had thought it would be wise to not hold back a thing. Not that he liked using his sage mode, with both of the elder toads on his shoulders, and his own body transformed, but he knew he would need their strength. But never in his wildest dreams would he have thought to face a wielder of the wood element.

"How did you," Jiraiya started out, before he saw his sensei dart back, now accompanied by Enma, the monkey king, who was the old man's personal summon. He then saw who had pushed the Hokage back. "Impossible," Jiraiya hissed.

* * *

Orochimaru scowled. He had felt a disturbance when something had disrupted the barrier for a moment, but he had not expected his former teammate to enter so soon. And how did the fool get _this_ strong? Was this Jiraiya's sage mode, of which he had heard so much?

Not even in their fight together as team Hiruzen, had Orochimaru felt his old teammate's strength like this. Of course, he knew that there were differences between the sage modes taught by the Snakes, and those taught by the Toads. But for it to be such a difference…

'_This is getting… troublesome…_' Orochimaru considered. '_Neither the first nor the second are strong enough to face off against Jiraiya right now. Not one-on-one at least, not while I am unable to summon them back with their complete powers. I simply would not be able to properly control them if I made them any stronger- and I don't want them to turn on me. How did this turn out this badly? I thought Jiraiya would have been forced to defend Konoha, leaving the old man to me.. But now he has passed the barrier. If he manages to take down either of the two Kages.. Dammit, and then there is Sarutobi-sensei as well.' _Things were not going according to plan.

* * *

Unlike his younger brother, Senju Hashirama was not the sensor type. Though, he was also too busy trying to resist Orochimaru's control whenever possible, so it might have been that as well. But Jiraiya _did_ manage to catch the legendary shinobi off guard, and his large Rasengan pretty much blew the former Hokage apart.

"Sensei!" Jiraiya shouted. "What is going on?!"

"It's the impure world resurrection, kid," Shima – the female elder toad – croaked. She and her husband Fukasaku were small, hardly larger than Gamakichi was right now, but their power was immeasurably greater. As was their wisdom, gained by a great many years of experience.

"Seems like Ma is right," Fukasaku, sitting on Jiraiya's other shoulder, remarked. "And the first and second Hokages, no less…"

"Wasn't that jutsu the one that made the summon indestructible?" Shima wondered.

"Right, better seal that guy away then, Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku said, casually.

Jiraiya saw how the body of the first Hokage was already regenerating. But he was fast enough with his sealing method to trap the legendary man. If he had not caught him off guard, Jiraiya knew he would have had a very difficult fight against the man. His mokuton was legendary, and for good reason.

But he had no time to admire the wooden wilderness that the first Hokage had created inside the barrier, because he saw how the third Hokage was pushed back by the second.

* * *

Orochimaru gritted his teeth. He knew his control of the edo tensei summons was still not perfect, but for the first Hokage to directly reject his orders and allow Jiraiya to hit him… that could be considered a grave miscalculation. Right now, the situation was bad. One of his guards had alerted him that something bad had happened at the arena. Things were not according to plan. Not at all.

'_Now what.. With so much chakra spent on the edo tensei no jutsu, I will be at a disadvantage… Nidaime will lose when Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sensei gang up on him. And I doubt I could resist Jiraiya as he is now.. Not with this limited amount of chakra I have left right now._' Orochimaru shook his head in annoyance. He had made a mistake by not waiting until he could transfer to a fresh body. Then again, this had been a unique opportunity.

But this current body was already approaching the end of its usefulness. It would last another six months, at most. Perhaps a bit more, with Kabuto looking after it. But the rejection had already started. Orochimaru sighed. '_At least I got my hold on Sasuke-kun.. And with Kabuto grabbing the byakugan for me, I have all the things I need. And I only had to make sure the old goat died. Sad that I cannot humiliate him properly… but right now, I should focus on getting away without getting damaged… or worse.'_

Orochimaru pulled out his blade. It was coated with the deadliest poisons he had, the sword of Kusanagi. This legendary sword could pierce anything, and its ability to extend and retract its blade upon command was also very useful right now.

Orochimaru signalled his four guards to pay close attention and remove the barrier on his command. Now all he needed to do was to let the Nidaime make sure that Hiruzen stood still for just a moment..

* * *

Dodging Enma, the monkey king, Senju Tobirama charged forward at his former student. "Keep moving, Saru!", he warned, defying his master's control.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, but was heavily pressured. He had been wondering if he had to use his ace: the one technique Orochimaru would not know about, yet would still be powerful enough to subdue all three of Hiruzen's attackers. But then Jiriaya stepped in.

But shaking off the second Hokage, even if the latter did not have access to his full power and abilities, was no easy thing to do. Especially not for an old, and already worn-out man like Hiruzen.

"Suiton: Suidanha", Tobirama exclaimed, spitting out a needle-sharp blast of water, aimed at Hiruzen.

Forced to dodge, Hiruzen jumped left. And hit a tree. Using this distraction, the second Hokage grabbed the third, while Enma and Jiraiya charged at them.

But both of them were too late.

The extending blade of the sword of Kusanagi had already pierced the trees.

It pierced the second Hokage.

And then..

The third.

* * *

Using the subsequent confusion as his cover, Orochimaru and his four guards – who had just taken down their barrier – now ran across the rooftops of Konoha. Only now the snake summoner could see the extent of the damage his troops and those of Sunagakure had done to Konoha.

And it disappointed him greatly.

Sure, he had calculated that Konoha would not go down, not while both his former teammate Tsunade and the Mizukage had unexpectedly shown up in Konoha. In their preparations, these two had never been expected to participate in the fights, but still.. the walls should have been breached. The shinobi from Sunagakure should have joined his troops from Otogakure, and at least have caused more damage to Konoha than Orochimaru could now see.

Of course, their plan had also included a raging bijuu in the centre of the village. But to Orochimaru's great disappointment, the annoying jinchuriki from Konoha, that Uzumaki Naruto, had defeated Sabaku no Gaara.

This day had turned out to be far less entertaining than Orochimaru had hoped- but at least his poisoned blade had pierced Sarutobi Hiruzen. And Orochimaru knew that his sensei's inevitable death would likely cause far more chaos than this single invasion.

Now he needed to hurry to the rendezvous point first, and see how Sasori and Kabuto had succeeded in their tasks.

* * *

Jiraiya seized his wounded sensei and prevented him from falling when the blade retracted.

"I am… sorry…" the resurrected second Hokage panted. "Hiruzen.. I managed to change the blade's course… a little…"

Jiraiya looked as his body crumbled. "The jutsu is lifted.. My brother and I.. We will be at peace once more," Senju Tobirama spoke his last words. "Hunt down our summoner, he will be dangerous… but for now… Saru will die, the blade was poisoned…"

"In that case we should bring him to a healer as quick as possible," Shima croaked, when the former Hokage had passed on once more, leaving behind the body of an anbu who had gone missing during the second round of the exams. "Jiraiya-chan," she urged him.

"Ma is right, we should hurry now, if you act quick you could prolong the Hokage's life a little," Fukasaku for once agreed with his wife.

Jiraiya ended his sage mode, and the two toads disconnected from his shoulders. "Fukasaku-sama, please hurry and get Tsunade to the hospital. She will be near the gates…"

* * *

Orochimaru and his four guards landed at the rendezvous point, and to Orochimaru's surprise, they were the first ones to arrive.

"Orochimaru-sama", one of the four spoke up, seeing their master's expression. "During the invasion, there was some sort of tornado of blue flames at the arena. I do not know who or what was behind it, but whatever it was: it had more chakra than the Ichibi. Far more…"

"The Nibi.. So, Yugito had acted against her orders…" Orochimaru gritted his teeth. "Then Sasori would have had no chance. He wasted too much chakra on those beloved 'sleeper agents' of his. Besides, that creature would have been impervious to his poisons. She was rumored to be the second strongest jinchuriki for a reason.."

'_For the time, at least. If that Uzumaki brat continues to develop like this…_'

"Any word about Kabuto?" he demanded.

"My lord, we have not seen him, and considering his task he should have arrived here already…"

Orochimaru's glare was enough to frighten the four into silence. '_Kabuto… of all my servants you were the only one who was not expendable,_' Orochimaru pondered. '_And with your skill, grabbing that girl and escaping from Konoha should have been easy. No, the only reason for you to be late would be if someone strong had held you up. But that would not make sense… the seats arranged for that girl were apart from all the strongest jonin, as well as her own family. She had no guards worth noting, so unless we were tricked… had he sent Kabuto into a trap? Orochimaru had not expected him to be petty enough to feel any sort of grudge against the former spy. No, he would have placed his own interests over some petty emotion like that..' _

"If Sasori has fallen, and Kabuto had not been able to escape the arena before that, we should presume he died. What a disappointment," Orochimaru hissed. "We will move to our nearest lair."

'_And our 'leader' would not be very happy to hear about our failure either. No, it would be better to cut my ties with Akatsuki before he hears about it. Besides, it is not as if I need them any longer. I got all the information I need. At least, all the information they would be willing to share. Now I should focus on luring Sasuke-kun in…'_

* * *

"This is not good, Jiraiya," Tsunade said with a worried expression. "I stabilized his situation for now, and Shizune is working on the antidote, but I highly doubt we will be very successful at this point."

"Has the poison spread that fast?"

"This is Orochimaru we are talking about.. We both know about his fascination with poisons," she sighed. "If nothing can be done about the poison, I could keep sensei alive for a few days at most."

Jiraiya grimaced, but had already braced himself for the worst scenario. Suddenly, he thought of something.

"Tsunade… Naruto- when he met Orochimaru in the forest of death, he mentioned being poisoned too, do you think there is any chance he used the same poison?"

Tsunade blinked and considered the possibilities. Even if it was not the exact same poison, but something similar, there was a chance that Naruto had built up some resistance against that. "I… I will try. We're in luck, he is only two rooms away from here."

"I know.. I had Gamaken carry him, Shikamaru, and that Sand girl here…"

"Jiraiya… I know you don't want it, but for now you should focus on leading Konoha. I'll look after sensei."

"What?!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"The village is in chaos now, the wounded are still being brought in, and we have counted at least two hundred dead now. And that number will rise," Tsunade sighed. "Take sensei's place, if only for a little while. Before the clan leaders start messing everything up even further, or that, even worse, someone like Danzo steps in to lead Konoha."

Jiraiya massaged his forehead. "This day… ugh, alright then, I'll do it…"

"And I just saw the Mizukage, escorting that jonin from Sunagakure, it seemed like that guy wants to have a word with you too.."

Jiraiya had already hurried off. He had a lot to do now.

* * *

"Dad?! Mom?" Sakura shouted, finally arriving back at home. Kakashi and several other jonin had closed off the infirmary at the arena when the fighting had started, and left her there to guard the wounded and the medics. Not that any of the invaders had gotten through.

"I'm home!" she shouted, rushing into the living room. She had been worried sick about her parents, but had not gotten a chance to return home earlier. The invasion had 'ended' two hours earlier; after Orochimaru had fled, the remaining Oto-nin had dropped their weapons when they had realized they would not get reinforcements from Sunagakure.

Sakura walked on, into the kitchen, and finally saw her father. "Dad? Why didn't you say anything?", Sakura. "Dad?", she became worried when he slowly turned to her.

His bewildered expression, his red eyes.. Sakura shivered, suppressing the urge to run away. '_No… no, this can't be… it cannot,_' she thought, before her father opened his mouth.

With a cracked voice, he explained that they were going home when the invasion started; that there had been a large snake, charging through the streets. Sakura felt as if her heart broke, as if the ground under her feet fell away, when her crying father told her the news. Her mother had died.

* * *

Standing on the shore, he looked at the crimson tide. The sun finally rose up, heralding a day after this long night. All the burdens lost with time, the sun rose up and erased the shadow it had cast behind it. He heard whispers, but saw no one. Was he still sane? He looked up at the starry skies, which he knew would soon to be replaced by the splendor of the sun, and wondered where he was.

He looked down and saw the shadows created by the rising sun. He wanted to feel free, boundless, but he was tied to the earth. The shadows kept following him, no matter where he went, encroaching upon him like his own doom.

Then he realized that he could only see the shadows because the sun began to rise. That he had already been living in the darkness. Light created shadow. Hope created pain. Love created hatred.

Having longed to see the sun's warmth for so long, he now wanted to escape. He loved the light, but feared it for the shadows it created.

"Choose", a voice whispered.

He looked around. The crimson tide at one side, the darkness of night at the other. He stood in the middle, wondering what he wanted to see. What was it that he was used to seeing? Why did he desire light, but fear the shadows it created?

"Choose", the whisper repeated.

What was he? Where was he? Who did he hear? As he began to think, he saw the doves and birds, the grass and trees. He began to realize that he had been walking around in the darkness of night, blind to the world around him.

"Choose…"

But choose what? The sun crept up, and the more its light filled his world, the more details he began to see. Was that his choice? The warmth and light of life, which was bound to the shadows of loss and despair, or the simple darkness of death and oblivion?

"It is time," the voice whispered.

Yes, he realized now that he had to make his choice. He remembered little from the night, his heart empty and cold, while the sun began to color his life. He made his choice, even if that choice would hurt him. He would bear the pain, no matter what. He would endure.

He turned and walked towards the shore, feeling the cold, wet sand under his bare feet. "I made my choice," he said to the whispering voice.

Even though the whispering voice remained silent, he could feel its approval.

* * *

Bathing in his own sweat, Naruto woke in his hospital bed. It was still in the middle of the night, disorienting him. Where was he? What were all these things attached to him?

Vaguely remembering a nightmare, Naruto felt the thumping sensation in his right hand.

A nurse hurried to him. "Uzumaki-san, are you alright?", she asked him.

Naruto was still dazed and it took him a moment before he realized what she asked. "Yes.. yes, I made.. I made a choice?"

The nurse looked at him, not sure whether he was really awake. "You should sleep, Uzumaki-san. You need to recover."

Naruto blinked, and dropped back on his bed, after realizing he was sitting up. He was already asleep before the nurse got the chance to tug him in properly. She wondered if this boy really was the fearsome demon that some said he was.

* * *

**A/N**: Yes… I told you all Naruto would eventually have to make a choice. Well, I would say he had already made that choice, even if he had not thought about it. But now he knows he will have to endure pain, if he truly wishes to live a life. As for the voice itself, well, that's something for later in my story!

And as always: please leave your thoughts behind. After all, this is my first fanfic, and I'm doing this all on my own, so feedback is always appreciated! Moving on to my planning: next chapter, the **aftermath**, wrapping up the chunin exam arc. Then we'll move on to the 'Chie chronicles', after which the next arc starts. But bad new first: I won't be publishing next chapter next week, as I'm away from home for most of the time. So, there'll be a bigger wait then you all are used from me!

Luckily I also have good news: the Ziltoidian empire has expanded! This chapter is the first one that is brought to you all with the help of a beta! You can all thank **Illuminated** for improving this chapter!

-Z-


	34. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

* * *

After days of negotiations, hearing reports, and giving orders, Jiraiya got some more rest. He had temporarily occupied his sensei's office, considering it was a central position in the village and had access to all the resources he needed.

But he didn't like sitting in a chair that wasn't his.

These days had been a disaster. The official number was 683 civilians and 239 shinobi dead. Not to mention that there were at least eight thousand wounded, including about five hundred heavily wounded. Konoha had suffered a severe blow, that was easy enough to conclude even without reports. The preparations for the attack, which they had expected, had nearly been undone by the sudden turn of many shinobi. Fortunately, when they regained their self-control upon the death of the Akatsuki member manipulating them, the fights had been ended quickly. But many good men and women had already lost their lives, at the hands of their own comrades.

No, the greatest issue was that the Hokage was mortally injured, Jiraiya concluded. Jiraiya had had to spend a lot of time convincing people that Hiruzen had not died yet, Shimura Danzo most of all, and the old war-hawk and council elder insisted on immediate countermeasures against Sunagakure, as part of a campaign of retribution. In the heat of emotions, many people agreed with him. However, Jiraiya had convinced them to stop being foolish, and to focus on repairing the village first. One could not strike when their defenses were in such a bad condition.

In any case, when Jiraiya wondered aloud in council where Danzo had been during the invasion, the man had refused to answer. Jiraiya's question and Danzo's refusal to answer did create a lot of frowns among the people gathered, just as Jiraiya had intended. This was understandable because Danzo and his division of anbu, called Root, were supposed to be good assets, yet for some reason they had chosen to not participate in the battle while the invading army killed Konoha people.

Although Danzo had pulled back for the time being, Jiraiya knew enough to expect him to return in the next council meeting. The other two elders would likely be equally troublesome. This was exactly the reason why Jiraiya had always refused an official position in Konoha: he did not possess the patience to deal with all the idiotic political games while lives were at stake.

Sure, political ploys could save many lives. It was unfortunate that at least as many were threatened by it, Jiraiya groused to himself.

Luckily, not everything had been bad. First of all, the Mizukage was celebrated throughout Konoha for her role during the invasion. Secondly, Jiraiya had had a long conversation with Baki, the jonin commander from Sunagakure who had now held the highest position in their village. With the death of one of the members of Akatsuki, a lot had been clarified.

Baki had explained that that man, or at least, what had once been a man, was the infamous Sasori of the Red Sands; and that the man had been feared because of his ability to not only control puppets, but also had a jutsu to control people. Baki admitted that while it seemed a convenient thing to say now, he and many other jonin had indeed thought that the behaviour of the Kazekage had been strange. After all, the relations between Iwagakure and Sunagakure were bad, so Sunagakure would only have jeopardized its own position by declaring war on Konohagakure.

As such, Baki had offered full apologies on behalf of Sunagakure, and had offered to lead his men in a full scale retreat. In addition, he had also offered to change a few of the current conditions in the peace treaty between their nations in Konoha's favour, which was especially attractive when looking at the trade sector. Jiraiya knew full well that Baki offered this because Sunagakure was not in a financial position to repay Konoha in any other way.

Jiraiya had agreed for now, although he stated that this had to be approved by the Hokage and the council first. Therefore, he had ordered Baki to retreat all Suna shinobi from the land of fire. However, the children from the Kazekage would remain in Konoha as hostages, just as the body of the Kazekage – especially interesting for the bloodline it carried – would remain in Konoha for the time being.

Thinking back, Jiraiya smiled at the reluctance with which Baki had agreed, not really willing to leave his pupils behind. Especially because it also meant that Sunagakure would temporarily lose control of its jinchuriki. But Baki was smart enough to admit that he had no other choice but to accept these terms. Konohagakure had every right to see the invasion as an act of betrayal, and thus declare war. The Mizukage had agreed wight this view, stating that carrying out the invasion while she was present was also seen as an act of aggression towards Kirigakure. Baki had shuddered at the thought that his village would have had to fight two other nations, with Iwagakure undoubtedly ready to exploit the situation as well.

Sasori had put Sunagakure in a situation where it was completely doomed if it had not been forgiven for this invasion attempt.

Regardless, Jiraiya did not like politics. But at least one piece of good news had made his temporary burden a lot lighter. Using Naruto's blood, and the resistance he had created against Orochimaru's poison, Tsunade had created an antidote for Hiruzen. Using this, she had succeeded in healing him. Well, healing was probably overstating it; the fate of Sarutobi Hiruzen had already been sealed, but instead of a couple of days in intense pain, he now had several weeks in relatively good health before the poison would claim his life. All in all, the damage the poison had done to Hiruzen's old body during these last few days had been irreversible.

Jiraiya frowned as he thought back at the expression of his old teammate. It seemed to him like Tsunade would blame herself for yet another person's death. The woman had never changed, always expecting too much from herself. Jiraiya guessed that living under her grandfather's shadow had made such large self-expectations inevitable. After all, the same kind of expectations had caused the untimely death of most of her family…

And Hiruzen accepted his fate, Jiraiya surmised. He knew he did not have a lot of time left to him, but at least the old man could appoint a successor before he died, avoiding a lot of conflict in their village. It wasn't the most honorable death, but at least the man had chuckled when stating that he really still was a shinobi: enduring and doing his duty to the bitter end. And Jiraiya knew that his old teacher valued duty more than glory. But once things were resolved, Jiraiya would finally be able to leave in order to train Naruto properly, especially now that the lad had gained a different social standing.

That was the last of the things that were 'good' in Jiraiya's books. At first, a mob of people had gathered in front of the hospital, demanding that Naruto would be imprisoned, banished, or even executed. However, there were also those who protested against all this. Knowing that the situation could get out of hand, especially because Tsunade would lose her temper, Jiraiya had interceded and the group had dissolved naturally. In the end, rumors of Naruto being the one who saved Konoha began to spread. Jiraiya was curious to see how this would turn out.

Perhaps it was a possibility that the people of Konoha would forget their prejudgment against Naruto, Jiraiya wondered. After all, Naruto had shown in a brilliant way that he was capable of controlling the Kyuubi's chakra. And that he controlled the monster, rather than the other way around, was one thing the people would never have believed before. But now they nodded when Jiraiya said it, thinking about the horror the Ichibi could have inflicted on Konoha, if things had gone differently, if Naruto had not stopped the bijuu.

What Jiraiya did not say aloud, however, was that he was concerned about the Fourth's seal on Naruto. Forcing such quantities of chakra through it would not benefit the seal's strength, to say the least.

* * *

Two days later Jiraiya walked through the hospital, after getting another piece of good news.

"Good morning, Naruto," he smiled widely, after entering the boy's room. Finally, the boy had woken up from his injuries. Well, not conventional injuries… he had nearly depleted all of his chakra, and had remained in a strange sort of coma afterwards. Even Tsunade had not understood why he had not woken up earlier.

"Morning, ero-sennin," Naruto answered. Jiraiya was glad that the boy at least looked pretty good. Much better then when he had nearly died on his mission before the exams had started.

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good…" Naruto replied. Jiraiya was a bit bothered by his pensive look. "Seems like I was out for a while."

"Five days, kid," the toad sage sighed. "I told you to be careful with that barrier."

"Did it work? No one wanted to tell me how the invasion ended."

"It worked, and thanks to you the Hokage is still alive." Naruto looked sharply when Jiraiya said that. The word 'still' had not escaped him. "We still have a few weeks, according to Tsunade," Jiraiya sighed. "Needless to say that this is a matter of the utmost secrecy. Only a handful of people are aware of this. But seeing how it was your blood that extended the old man's life, I thought you deserved to know. Orochimaru slipped up when he used his poison against you."

"Tell me about it..." Naruto grimaced. "So Konoha has taken quite a blow," he sighed. "How is Jii-san? Is he in the hospital too? How are the others?"

"The old man is stable now. He is weak, but capable of doing things as long as he takes it easy. But his body is poisoned, and no one can stop the poison from spreading. We just moved him to his office, along with all the medical equipment he needs. As for the others… your team will be visiting you later; apart from some minor injuries, they were fine. They'll also tell you more about the invasion."

Jiraiya grimaced. He did not know how the break the news about Haruki's death, and decided to follow the request of the Hyuga girl, Ako, who wanted to tell Naruto herself. But Jiraiya felt like he needed to give Naruto at least a warning.

"But I will not lie, Naruto… a lot of people have died, and many more were wounded," Jiraiya sighed. "Still, many now see you as the hero who stopped the one-tailed bijuu. Well, I'd say they are equally thankful and scared, but it's an improvement of the former situation, I suppose. But personally, I wanted to thank you. If Gaara had really been unleashed on Konoha, things would have been a lot worse."

"How is he? And Yugito?"

"They are both fine. Yugito killed that guy from Akatsuki, the one who attacked you and Gaara. Gaara and his siblings are currently held in custody, although I have arranged it so that the two of us can visit him any time. Officially, just to check up on his seal, though I admit you did a very good job on it. I hardly found any weakness in it," Jiraiya smiled, proud that his student had progressed so much. Well, he didn't say that there was a mistake in it, but that had technically been Jiraiya's fault, and not Naruto's.

"Hardly…" Naruto chuckled. "Well fine, I would like to talk to him anyway… After all, I suppose he is some kind of brother to me, even if we are not related by blood, we share similar fates."

Jiraiya smiled, and stood up from the seat he had taken. "You get something to eat first. Kurenai and the others will be here in an hour. We will talk about Gaara's seal later."

As Naruto watched his (unofficial) teacher walk away, he worried why the man had such a troubled expression on his face. It fitted perfectly with the sense of 'wrongness' that Naruto had ever since he woke up. '_Something is wrong. But what?_' Naruto frowned.

* * *

After he had slept for an hour, or perhaps longer, as Naruto had lost track of time in the boredom of a hospital, his team visited him. Well, his team plus Ako, who looked extremely uncomfortable- and sad.

Naruto frowned. '_First Jiraiya acting odd, and now Ako too? What… Where is Haruki?_' Naruto realized. "What's wrong, Ako?"

The girl seemed to want to leave when he spoke up, but Kurenai put a hand on her shoulder. "Naruto… we're sorry we have to tell you this… but the invasion," the jonin started, her gentle voice having an odd tremor. "During the exam, someone tried to take Hinata away."

Naruto grimaced. "Who?"

"Don't worry about him, two-leg," Chie said, jumping onto his bed. But even the cat sounded a bit off to him. She did not boast with her usual bravado. "Haruki killed him."

Ako sniffed, and tried to hold back her tears. "But he… Haruki got injured…"

Naruto felt as if he suddenly froze, as he listened to them tell what happened- how Ako apologized for not being able to help, how Kurenai was sorry she was not there, how Chie regretted not being stronger, and how Haruki had fallen while taking down one of Orochimaru's henchmen.

Seeing the emotions the boy was going through, Hinata had to suppress her urge to run to him. Naruto looked so fragile now, so lonely. Haruki himself had asked her to help him whenever she could, but right now... she did not know how to help him. He had just lost the man who practically raised him, so what could she say or do to lessen his pain?

Remaining silent for a moment, as he did not trust his own voice, Naruto decided to speak again. "None of you," he sighed. "None of you should blame yourself."

He noticed the looks of the others, and swallowed. "Haruki told me he was dying- that he had been poisoned- and his body was growing weaker and weaker. I know that this man would never ever blame any of you for his death. And neither will I," Naruto said with a determined look. "You know... he was frustrated because he had become that weak; but now he has gotten the honourable death he wanted."

"What…" the teary Ako managed to talk.

"He never told you, Ako, because you never wanted to hear it," Naruto smiled gently. Though she was several years older than him, he knew her aversion to these kinds of things all too well. She was too gentle, while he never had any other choice but to face the cold facts. His burden did not allow him to do otherwise. Perhaps that was why Haruki understood him, Naruto realized; the man must have seen his illness as a similar burden. Both were inescapable.

"The burial," Kurenai said. "We decided it would be best if the burial was delayed a little, so that you could be there too. And with the amount of casualties, it was not difficult to arrange."

"Thank you," Naruto bent his head, blinking to hold back the tears he felt. "Thank you for telling me. Thank you all…"

"Naruto," Ako said hesitantly, while she rummaged through her pack. "Haruki left this behind, with instructions that it is for you, in case he died. I thought you would want to read it." She handed over a sealed letter.

As they had agreed, the company left after handing over the letter. They knew Naruto would need time to accept this. Hinata knew that, even though he did not lie, he still hid his real emotions. She wanted to talk with him so badly- about Haruki, about him, about his actions throughout the years, about why he had acted as her silent guard. But, she knew she had to wait. He needed time. She could hardly understand what it would be like, to lose someone so close to you.

She had it right. No matter what Naruto knew, it hurt him more than anything that Haruki had died. Losing someone so close to you was worse than loneliness, worse than being hated.

* * *

_Naruto,_

_As a contingency, I asked Ako to keep this letter and give it to you when I pass away. I pray that the seal upon it is still intact, or else I bid you to be very careful as secrets might be leaked, and several people might be in danger. I have written this story in case I died before having the chance to tell it to you myself, as it is a subject that I am reluctant to talk about. I will start with the story of our clan, so that you will understand everything._

_Several generations ago, before the founding of Konoha, and before the system of the hidden villages was established, the Hyuga clan was a wandering clan like many others. Clans which have now become our allies had once been our opponents, as we lived from the money we earned by fighting. History tells us it was a time of chaos and never- ending strife. In that chaos, the Hyuga clan tried to protect its secrets at all costs. The constant threat of other clans pursuing our byakugan created the need for a sealing method that would render the theft of our eyes pointless._

_Thus the seal, the Hyuga's juinjutsu, came to be. This seal had as its main purpose the sealing of the Byakugan at the death of one of our clan member, so that its secrets never fall into the hands of the enemy. It was a seal applied to each and every member, from its highest leader to its lowest servant. But over time it has, as you know, developed into a curse. The main family tells us that it had always been part of our clan, but that has been a lie. Just like the supposed superiority of the main house is a lie. The cursed seal was created after conflict within our clan, before we joined Konoha._

_Our clan has always been proud. The history of the Hyuga clan is said to go back to the times when shinobi first came to be. Like our allies, the Senju, and even the Uchiha, we belong to the oldest clans in the world. But where those two clans had suffered greatly from their rivalry, the Hyuga clan was mostly unharmed. And its power, both in quality and quantity, surpassed that of most other clans. The hidden history of the Hyuga clan tells us that the clan leader at that time refused to join Konoha, and instead aimed to found his own hidden village. However, a part of the clan saw the benefits of an alliance, especially because of the power of the first Hokage, and the threat of the other, new, villages that emerged after taking Konohagakure as their example. But more than a desire for power, there was a strong hunger for wealth._

_Among those wanting the benefits of the alliance, was the youngest son of the clan leader. Historians tell us that it was an accident which led to the deaths of most of the leading family, but it is not difficult to see who benefitted most from the deaths of his family: the same youngest son, who now was the last of the leading family. But many saw through his lies, and tried to defect. However, he and those that followed him deceived the defectors. To enforce his rule, the new clan leader somehow altered the protective seal into the cursed seal we now know. Those that had followed him, and those that had been bribed with his promises of wealth and power, became the main family, and remained free from our curse. And those who had tried to defect from the clan, or those who were simply not trusted enough, then became the branch family. Servants. The history books will never tell you this truth though, and now only a very few know about the truth- and those who know either remain silent or know that they disappear when they talk. _

_The main house will never allow Konoha to know the truth, as it would destroy the foundations of their power. Their pride and reputation would be shattered. They would never allow others to learn about how they have stolen their wealth from the branch. Property was the first thing taken, but over the decades that followed, the repression of the main house, which only formed a minority within the clan, increased. People lost not just their possessions, but over the generations they also lost their rights. One liberty after another was lost, until those in the branch were little more than slaves. Those in power tried to protect their positions, eliminating those who could threaten their positions. That is also why the siblings of clan leaders receive the cursed seal. Or, as it is also called, the caged bird seal._

_The greed and abuse from the main house created much hatred within the branch. When I grew up as a child, I too because a victim of this cycle. I call it a cycle because the hatred and defiance of the branch only increased the repression from the main family. My situation only became worse when I met the women I loved. Like myself, Minako was from the branch family. Our marriage, however, was not approved at first because a man from the main family desired her hand in marriage. But our love was strong and she refused that man, and eventually, because I was the grandson of the previous clan leader – my father was the younger brother of the current clan leader at that time – our marriage was approved. _

_The greatest regret in my life was that Minako died before we could marry. Days before the ceremony, she and her team were sent out on a mission by the Hokage. She and her teammates died that day. But, like with so many other incidents, proof could never be found, yet I knew this had not been a coincidence. In my search for the truth, I inspected the place where Minako had died, and found some traces. I was mad from sorrow and was too reckless, and I walked into a trap. Men disguised as anbu from our very own village attacked me. Though I killed them, they managed to poison me. _

_The main family has a strong position in the political system of Konoha, and was able to hide away the evidence of this attack as well. Official reports stated that the attack had been an attempt from foreign shinobi to capture the byakugan. I, however, was not alone. My cousin, who had recently married the eldest son of the clan head, shared her suspicions of the many crimes committed by the main family. Since I had nothing to lose, I told her my story, and from that moment I worked together with her to uncover the secrets hidden by those in power. The account of the real history of the Hyuga clan that I just gave you is one of our results. _

_After the clan leader stepped down, and Hiashi took his place, I managed to avenge my wife. And with the support of the woman who was now the second-most powerful person in our clan, I escaped from the repercussions. Hitomi, however, urged me to set aside my hatred. She made me see that the hatred that threatened to consume me, as most of the branch, only led to more misery and death. Or else my thirst for vengeance would never be quenched. From that moment on, she and I secretly made an effort to improve the position of the branch. We wanted to give our clan a better system. But first, the branch would have to realize that the hatred was just as much a prison as our cursed seal is. _

_In that time you became the honored guest of our clan, and Hitomi arranged that I would become your guardian as long as you chose to stay with us. In your situation within the village, she saw the same mistreatment as the branch family suffered. And we wished to make you a shining example of how people could, and should, act. Therefore, I hope that you feel no anger or hatred, in case my death too was under suspicious circumstances. I wholeheartedly believe in your strength, Naruto. I know you will aid Hitomi-sama in her quest to redeem the Hyuga. I never wanted you to be involved in this hidden battle, but your protection of Hinata-sama made it inevitable nonetheless- because many in the main family would rather see Hinata dead than have her lead the clan. Yet it is her compassion that is the key to a better future._

_Minako and I always wished to have a son, but unfortunately fate did not allow us this pleasure. But know that I am proud to have been part of your life, Naruto. We may not be related in blood, but I have always seen you as the son I never had. It fills me with pride to see you endure the village's hatred; to see that you, despite the enormity of your burden, remained a good person. _

_If I would have one final wish, it would be to request you to never give in to hatred. I know you had a role in the disappearances within our clan, and I am glad that you use your power to protect those whose lives are threatened by the greed and hatred of our clan. But I pray you will never lose yourself in the burdens of the Hyuga clan. I know how tempting it is to keep chasing for a vengeance you can never have. You are better than that. Your power and talent are unmatched. Remain strong, Naruto, and remember that it is good to dream of the future, but you must always remember that you live in the present. Too many have made the mistake of becoming obsessed by their pasts. Too many have been consumed by their regrets. Too many have lost hope in better future._

_I would have liked to see you realize your dream, and I am sorry I was not able to help you more. But do not grieve too much for me. I have accepted my fate long ago. My death was inevitable, and I admit I even longed for it, to finally be with Minako again, in the afterlife. I wish you will have a long and blessed life. I know you will always do what is right. I know you will only continue to make me proud. You will become the greatest Hokage the world has ever seen._

_Goodbye,_

_Hyuga Haruki._

* * *

Alone in his hospital room, Naruto was finally able to cry. For the first time in many years, he shed tears like a child, without control- tears for losing the man who had been the closest thing to a father to him.

* * *

"Ugh.. I've had enough of this," the Kyuubi's voice resounded through Naruto's head. Shortly afterward, Naruto felt being pulled inwards again, and then saw the demon in front of him.

"What…" Naruto sighed. "I'm in no mood for your games right now."

"Tsk. So much for the 'thank you for your chakra' attitude," the fox grumbled. "But I would like it if you stopped your sulking around. It's getting rather annoying seeing this for hours…"

Naruto shrugged and turned away in his mindscape.

"Are you really that surprised that this clan you lived in was so rotten? I thought you killed enough of their members to know that they are just as hideous as any other human, no matter how conceited they behave. Do I still need to tell you that the more those pathetic creatures try to look perfect, the more horrors they have committed?"

"So what…"

"Then you are grieving for an already dying man who finally found his peace?" the Kyuubi scoffed. "Pathetic, even when he wrote you that…"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto suddenly snapped. "Just because you do not care about anyone but yourself, doesn't mean I am completely indifferent! I wish I was, but I'm not!"

Naruto sat down and looked pensively. "I already knew something was wrong about the Hyuga. But what Haruki now explained to me in these final words of his… it goes much deeper than I had ever expected."

"Did you really expect humans to be capable of being good? I've been around for centuries, and I always see the same pattern. Humans always fall for their greed, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy, pride, or lust."

"And yet there are also those who do good things," Naruto remarked.

"Perhaps, but it is always a minority. Just look at what this Haruki became. He had fallen for wrath before he was finally shown how wrong he was."

"We all make mistakes," Naruto frowned. "But you are right. It is a minority who is capable of good. But if they are shown the right direction… you should not underestimate the human potential for doing good, you focus way too much on their bad side."

"Ugh.. what are you planning this time?" the Kyuubi groaned. "Your idiotic dream about becoming Hokage again?"

"No.. it isn't me who can change the Hyuga," Naruto pondered, "Though I will become Hokage. And you had better believe me, as you will be the first to see it," Naruto grumbled.

"Perhaps," the fox whispered to himself, after Naruto left. '_But not if I continue weakening that accursed seal of yours. You stupid brat, you'll never become Hokage if you keep accepting my 'help' without thinking about the consequences of using so much of my chakra,'_ the fox chuckled darkly.

* * *

Following the advice both Kurenai and Hitomi had given her, Hinata left Naruto alone that day. They argued that he would need some time alone to sort things out for himself. Not knowing what to do herself, Hinata had decided that they would be right.

But as much as she had wanted to talk to him that day, the following morning she found herself hesitating when she stood in front of the door to his room. '_What should I say? What can I say to make Naruto-kun feel a bit better?'_ she pondered. '_Especially me… no matter what he said, I know that Haruki-san died because he protected me. Surely Naruto-kun knows this. Will he blame me? I should have been able to detect that genjutsu… A true heir would never have fallen for that. If I was not so incompetent, I could have helped Haruki-san._'

Lost in her desperate thoughts, Hinata nearly jumped when the door suddenly opened. A nurse left Naruto's room. With a frown, the woman remarked that Naruto was awake and ready to see others. But Hinata's well-trained eyes saw a lot more. This nurse was afraid, very afraid. But it was not just that, the woman was also intimidated. Not by her, Hinata realized, but by Naruto. It was not very surprising either, as many people now whispered how Naruto had unleashed a terrible power, and used that to save the village from Sunagakure's sand demon. Most of the stories even exaggerated Naruto's abilities. Hinata was happy that no one would ever underestimate her teammate again. But it frightened her when she saw how terrified the people were.

How would they treat Naruto now? At least his actions spoke in his favor. But how long would it take before their fear got the upper hand again?

* * *

"Hinata-sama," Naruto said softly. His face was pale and the bags under his eyes indicated he had not slept well. If he even had any sleep at all.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata hesitated. "Do you mind… i-if I enter?"

Naruto frowned. "Of course not. Please, sit down. I could use some distraction in this boring place. They won't even let me get out of bed. All because of a little chakra-exhaustion…" he grumbled.

"It was more.. M-More than just that, Naruto-kun.."

"Yeah yeah…" Naruto sighed. "Jiraiya has already scolded me enough for it already. Hell, even that cowardly old cow tried to scold me this morning. But I did what had to be done."

"I heard that thanks to you, Hokage-sama survived the battle," Hinata said shyly. "Just as you stopped Sunagakure's jinchuriki before it could be turned against our village… Y-You are a hero now," she blushed lightly.

"Hero," Naruto scoffed. "I'd rather not be a hero of the same people that hate and fear me. Besides, I couldn't even help the people close to me. Some hero I am."

Hinata swallowed. "You c-could not help it that H-Haruki-san died… He… Because of me, he…"

"Tsk. Haruki would smack me if I ever blamed someone for his death. Hell, he would smack me twice if I blamed myself. And I would not be able to count the number of hits if I blamed you," Naruto chuckled softly. He fell back onto the pillow on his bed. "I just wish I could have been there. To have talked… talked one last time with him."

"But…"

"I'm serious, Hinata. I can see it in your eyes, you're blaming yourself because you guys were attacked because that snake-bastard wanted to catch you. There is no need for you to blame yourself. Haruki would not have wanted it," Naruto said gently. "Haruki was already dying. If anything, this gave him the chance to die in battle, rather than in a wretched hospital bed." Naruto turned his head and looked out of the window. "I know Haruki would be thankful. So be at peace, Hinata-sama."

Unable to control herself, tears ran down the young girl's face. No matter what anyone had said, no matter what she knew about him, she had feared he would blame her. She even thought it would have been logical to be angry, after all Haruki was practically like a father to him. Much more than her own father had ever been to Hinata.

But why were people always after her? She was the failure, the unfit heir. Why would others risk their lives to save her?

As if he could see what she thought, Naruto spoke up. "Haruki was a gentle and good man. He could never sit by idly, when the lives of others were at risk." He smiled gently, his bright blue eyes looking at her. "And he was one of the few in the branch family who saw the truth. He knew you would be the perfect clan head."

"Wha… What?" Hinata gasped. '_Did I hear him right? I couldn't have!'_

"The Hyuga clan is a cold and unforgiving place. But you are like your mother. You could create the change your clan needs."

"You… You can't be serious," Hinata spoke with a tremor in her voice. "I… I am a failure! I am not talented, I am weak and cannot even…"

"Hinata!" Naruto loudly cut her off. With her eyes wide open, she stared at him, surprised by his strict tone. "Do not believe your father's idiotic reasoning. Leadership is not about brute strength. And true strength is about more than just ability. Look at your clan. For generations it lived under the impression that strength was everything- that the one who leads, the one with the so called purest bloodline, would also be the strongest. Do you honestly believe that bogus way of thinking made your clan any better?"

"W-Well, n-no b-but…"

"The strong always try to subdue the weak. That's why people fear me. That's why the Hyuga live like this," Naruto sighed. "Look at the relation between the main and branch houses. Look at Neji, and how he suffered. You told me that yourself. You asked me to spare him exactly because of it." He raised his hands. "And now you've seen me… how much did you guess?"

"What… Your fire jutsu… I know… That s-several in our clan d-disappeared. Ako-san and H-Haruki-san. They t-told me what you did… W-Why did you do all that?"

"I would rather ask you why they were after your life," Naruto pointed out. Hinata only shook her head in confusion. "Hinata, those people saw you as a threat. They fear the strength you have. Many in the main house rely on the way they can exploit the branch. If you would come of age, and take your rightful position, would you allow the branch to be suffering as they do?"

"No! No, of course I would not want that… But is that why…"

"Your mother knows. Haruki knew," Naruto frowned. "I, on the other hand, never cared much for clan politics. I merely did what I thought was right. I just sense the malice in people. I noticed people that had bad intentions towards you. And I dealt with them. I told you long ago: you saved _me_. So how could I let someone hurt my savior?"

But Hinata knew that this was not true. He had saved her before he even joined her clan. Hinata remembered exactly how they first met. She often dreamt of that moment. How Naruto had stood there, with doubt only surfacing in his wonderful blue eyes for a moment. How Naruto had risked his life against an opponent vastly superior to him, just to save her.

"Why me?" she asked again.

"Because of you, I could leave the cesspits they call orphanages. That is why I vowed to repay you. To protect you. That is why I killed those that threatened you."

"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell father?"

"Do you think Hyuga Hiashi would believe my word over that of some of the highest- ranking people within the Hyuga clan? Your father has good eyes, but they are still capable of fooling him. He has too much faith in the whole nonsense about the purity of blood. And even if he did choose to believe me over their lies, how would he punish them? If things came to the tribunal, who do you think would be believed anyway? There never was any proof, and any branch member who could testify simply disappeared."

Hinata's eyes went open in shock.

"Yeah... not all the disappearances were my work. They were always careful not to leave traces behind. Ako was not the first branch member who I saved," Naruto sighed. "But she was too close to me, and they were too afraid that I would get involved. After all, the Kyuubi is a powerful asset to Konoha- and the Hyuga clan no doubt gains a lot of prestige by having me around as their 'honored guest'."

"Is that... You once told me that k-killing was inevitable for shinobi," Hinata remarked. "Was that because…"

"Because we live in a world where we either kill or are killed," Naruto said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion. "The chakra of the Kyuubi changed me, in such a way that I could sense the darkness in the hearts of others. Because of that, it was easy to see that some people deserve to be killed."

He left unspoken that it was also his reason why he thought some people should not be killed, why he felt that he would protect Hinata, no matter what. Because, for all the darkness he felt, she was completely different. Radiant and clear like a diamond. '_It's almost as if she is the exact opposite of hatred,'_ Naruto mused.

"Do.. do you really think I could be a good clan leader?" Hinata asked shyly, almost begging for his approval, after being silent for a little while.

"Of course I do! I told you before that you should not doubt yourself so much. But your doubt also means that you are not blinded like most of your clan, with their pride, their greed, and their _traditions_," Naruto almost spat out that last word. "You would be able to lead your clan onto a new path, one that leads away from the curse it now suffers under."

But he could see Hinata was not convinced. Not that he could blame her. She always heard from others that she was a failure, and therefore never had much confidence in herself. Only her mother had supported her. But not even Hitomi could change the opinion of her clan by herself. "Haruki, even though he knew he was already dying, was willing to throw away the time he had left, to save you. He believed in you, Hinata-sama, so much that he bet his life on it."

"He did?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"When he found out that it was me who was behind the killings, he never stopped me. He knew all too well that they tried to hurt you because they could not touch your mother. When he found out, he even trained me so that I would be better able to hide myself. He was a member of the branch family, and he despised the system within the Hyuga clan," Naruto explained. "If you want to honor his sacrifice, help your mother to change your clan."

Confused as she was, Hinata only nodded, not knowing what to say. Her whole world had revolved around the idea that the Hyuga clan was the image of perfection, and that she was a failure unworthy of them. Now she heard her clan was wrong, and that _she_ was right.

Naruto could not blame her for feeling confused. He had spent virtually the entire time thinking, and had reread Haruki's letter several times. '_I never really understood the situation. I merely killed those who tried to kill Hinata, not thinking about the consequences. But this whole situation… Haruki is right; killing more people will not end the cycle. Even if I became the Hokage, it would still be impossible to completely remove this curse. Dammit... Why does this stuff always have to be so complicated? First the whole Gaara thing, and now this,_' Naruto sighed, thinking that things would only become even more difficult when he would become Hokage. Things were so much simpler when a problem could be solved by ripping out someone's throat.

* * *

After finally having been able to sleep for a while, Naruto quickly grew restless. Chakra exhaustion, even if it had brought him to close to his death, was not that difficult to recover from. Not if your name is Uzumaki Naruto, at least. The new things he had learned about the Hyuga had troubled him though. He still second-guessed his decision to tell Hinata. Yet he believed she _had_ to know. After all, he knew all too well that it would only be dangerous to not know one's surroundings. Besides, before she left, he had urged her only to talk about this with her mother, and no one else.

But while his brain told him it was a good decision, his heart said something different. Naruto felt guilty to have burdened Hinata. No, not just guilty- he wanted to get that burden off her shoulders, but he knew he could not. Even worse, if he had kept it a secret from her, it would only have been a sign that he did not take her seriously. But seeing her with that expression... it felt wrong to him.

'_Her physical strength may not be enough to endure her clan's troubles yet, but she has a strong will,_' Naruto tried to tell himself. Yes, he knew she was capable enough. Despite her doubts and oddly shy behaviour, he had seen her determination a few times now. '_And she has Hitomi-sama to guide her…'_

Sneaking out of the hospital, he was almost surprised to see Jiraiya stand in front of him. "I figured you would sneak out by now," the white-haired man chuckled.

"No you didn't," Naruto smirked. When he saw Jiraiya's frown, Naruto's smirk widened. "You should hide your seals better, old man."

Jiraiya was a little surprised that Naruto had so easily spotted the seals he had left behind. "How did you…"

"You were the one to teach me the basics, right? I simply knew where to look, at the place where I would leave such seals," Naruto said. "How's jii-san doing?"

"Well enough, for now," Jiraiya said softly, not wanting to be heard by unwanted ears. "But I hurried over because I needed you to come with me to check up on Gaara's seal. You were the one who made it, after all."

* * *

"What is going on here?" Jiraiya frowned, when he saw people arguing in front of the prison building in which Gaara and his siblings were temporarily lodged.

"Jiraiya-sama," the guard bowed. "Danzo-sama wishes to see the jinchuriki from Sunagakure," he revealed.

"It is well within my right as an elder of Konohagakure to inspect and assess any threat," the seemingly frail old man said, with more than a little annoyance. "We need to know if the creature is dangerous or not, before we can make decisions."

"Right," Jiraiya said dryly. He did not like the 'interest' that Danzo had already shown in the three children from the former Kazekage. Jiraiya had already denied him access to the former Kazekage's corpse, and now he was here again, despite the direct orders of the Hokage. "I thought you were informed about the orders Hokage-sama handed out regarding our three special prisoners?" The visible part of Danzo's face twitched. "Apart from sensei himself, only Ibiki, myself, and Naruto are permitted to see them."

"Tsk, you mean that _thing_ has more rights than a council elder?" Danzo scoffed.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the one who defeated the Ichibi and reinforced the seal placed on Sabaku no Gaara," Jiraiya said, but now without the pretence of being friendly. "If you had not been hiding yourself during the invasion, you would have seen that too," he added dismissively.

The two guards stepped forward, but Danzo signalled them to stay back. "Very well... I will take my leave, for now. But Suna will pay for what it did to Konoha," Danzo proclaimed as he turned and strode off.

"Ugh… troublesome old goat," Jiraiya mumbled.

Naruto looked up and frowned. "Who was that guy?"

"Shimura Danzo. One of the three elders in the Konoha council, so he has a lot of influence.. He claims he would do anything to defend Konoha, but I would not trust him too much. There are too many suspicious things with hints of his involvement," Jiraiya warned him. "But that isn't of much importance now. Once this mess is over, I'll take you out of Konoha and train you properly!"

"So, another unpleasant guy I have got to avoid," Naruto decided, not knowing what more to say about this. Leaving Konohagakure was not exactly a punishment for him, but he did not want to leave his newfound friends behind. Especially now that he knew the full extent of the danger that Hinata was in.

* * *

"Uzumaki-san," Gaara bowed slightly when he saw Naruto and Jiraiya entering.

"How is your seal holding?" Naruto smiled. He could already see that Gaara had caught up with sleeping. He didn't look nearly as exhausted as when he first saw him. Looking around, Naruto saw that their rooms, although equipped with bars and locks, were much more comfortable than an ordinary prison cell. Jiraiya had told him that they would be treated with the honor they deserved.

"It seems to work just fine," Gaara said calmly.

"You can say that again," Temari smiled. "He slept nearly two days!"

"Sleeping was a bit problematic," Gaara admitted, his face still completely neutral.

"I heard that Shukaku ate the souls of its jinchuriki when they sleep," Jiraiya frowned. "I can't imagine what that must be like…"

"Tiring," Gaara deadpanned.

"Eh... right. Might we see your seal?" Jiriaya questioned. "Like I said yesterday, we wanted to come and check up on it."

"I thought you were an expert on fuinjutsu," Temari frowned; "And you looked yesterday."

"Yeah. Seems like little Naruto over here had spent some time on tweaking seals," Jiraiya laughed. "I've never seen such an odd thing. I can guarantee its strength though," he added before Temari could react.

"Hmm, not having to boil you first makes things easier," Naruto smirked at Gaara, who raised a brow. "Seem like it worked out fine. Look, I used the evil-sealing method as the basis, inverted those corners here and here, and then mixed it with the design of a chakra storage seal," he explained to an attentive Jiraiya.

"Mixed it?" the latter frowned. "But how…"

"Chakra storage seals have the same basic function, right? Only they have a built-in function to easily release the chakra they contain. I removed that, and reinforced the design with the barriers from the evil-sealing method," Naruto explained, as if it was completely obvious.

Temari looked at Kankuro, who just shrugged in response. Neither of them had any clue what this was about. "So… um, it works then?" Temari questioned.

"It was the strongest thing I could come up with in one month of time," Naruto said with an apologetic tone. "Especially when you know that I hadn't been in Konoha for most of that month either. So, I've got no idea how long it'll last, but I used the Kyuubi's chakra so it should be pretty durable."

Jiraiya sighed. "It is durable, that's for sure.. But that also means Gaara has no access to the Ichibi's chakra."

"That's good, right?" Naruto shrugged. "I thought that was the point of this whole thing?"

"Not necessarily. Both of you, as jinchuriki, wield amounts of chakra that normal people can hardly fathom. I'd say that the chakra of the bijuu sealed inside the two of you also give you great opportunities, if you use it correctly."

"As a weapon," Gaara said coldly, guessing Jiraiya would make the same argument as his late father.

"No, not like a weapon," Jiraiya paled, having heard how the former Kazekage had treated his own son, as he had read the reports of their interrogations. "I would say, as extraordinary shinobi!"

"So the seal must be removed then?" Naruto frowned. "That's going to be a pain."

Jiraiya chuckled. "No, not removed, but altered. And considering that you were the one who made the seal, you should also be the one to alter it."

"Oh, or it'll weaken due to the different kinds of chakra that are used to construct the seal," Naruto added, seeing Gaara's questioning look. "But how?"

"Well…" Jiraiya hesitated. "There is one thing that I never taught you. One subject I did not give you the scrolls on either. You see…"

"Keys," Naruto cut him off. "I've never found them in the texts, even though there were references to it," he explained.

"I did not give you because I feared you would start to mess with your own seal," Jiraiya apologized. "And, considering how I'd rather not blow up Konoha. At least not when I'm not around. Some idiots here deserve being blown to oblivion," he chuckled darkly.

The two of them looked at the sand siblings. "Then Gaara has to stay for a while longer," Jiraiya added. "At least until Naruto is able to build a keyhole into his new seal."

"What?!" Kankuro did not like the idea of being imprisoned that long.

"Well, it's either that or waiting until the Ichibi accumulated enough chakra to blow up the seal," Naruto frowned. "And Gaara along with it."

"Don't worry though, because the Ichibi is sealed off completely, it won't be able to gather chakra that fast," Jiriaya added, seeing their faces. That was enough to convince them.

* * *

A while later, Naruto and Jiraiya left the prison building, but not until after Jiriaya had made Ibiki swear an oath to not let anyone else meet with the three children of the late Kazekage. It would take him a few days to arrange for a new place where the three could live.

"Gaara seems quite different, don't you think?" Jiraiya smiled, after they had been silently walking through Konoha for a while.

"You can say that again," Naruto chuckled. "I'm glad I did not kill him."

Jiraiya patted the boy on his head. "So am I kiddo, so am I.." He smiled, thinking on how surprised Kankuro and Temari had been about Gaara's change in behaviour. It seemed like Naruto had really struck a nerve with the kid. And not surprising either, considering how similar they were. Though perhaps not related in blood, they certainly were brothers in a different sense, as they both carried the same kind of burdens.

'_Who knows... Sabaku no Gaara has the potential to get an important function in Sunagakure. Perhaps even serve as Kazekage, if the people there can let go of their irrational fears. His bond with Naruto could be quite beneficial for Konoha too, not even mentioning how much it could do for the squirt himself.'_

* * *

Just before the two of them arrived at the Hyuga complex, they were approached by an anbu shinobi.

"Ah, yes. I forgot to mention," Jiriaya quickly said. "With all the things you have done lately, I guessed it would be wise to assign you a guard."

"You mean Konoha thinks the Kyuubi needs to be better guarded?" Naruto frowned, somewhat surprised that this came up.

"No no, nothing like that," Jiraiya put up his hands in defence. "No, I just wanted to make sure no one attacked you, because of some illogical fear. Besides, Hyuga Hitomi more or less ordered me to increase your security. Apparently, you've been messing around in their clan's politics… not that she shared many details."

Naruto nodded. "I'll explain that later. So who is this guy?"

"Hmm. Let's just call him Yamato," Jiraiya suggested. "He's one of the elite within the anbu. I picked him myself, because of his skill, and also because I know I can trust him. Unless you disagree, of course," he added, knowing all too well that Naruto had better senses when it came to seeing through people.

Well, not that Jiraiya doubted himself. His people skills were pretty awesome. In his own opinion, of course.

'Yamato' nodded, and bowed to Jiraiya. His face was hidden behind a mask that resembled a cat's face, he had brown hair, and wore the standard anbu attire. Yet something was off about him. Naruto felt that this guy was not a pushover like most of the anbu. Well, Naruto knew it was a little unfair to compare others to himself. By now, even many of the jonin did not have the chakra to stand on equal footing with him, though he knew their control was superior to his own.

"Hitomi-sama said that Yamato could stay in an empty cottage near your own," Jiraiya explained. "Though I expect him to stay on guard tonight, as many will think you're still weakened, and perhaps will try to exploit that."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," Yamato accepted his orders.

Naruto sighed and shrugged. He just wanted to go home, to see Ako, Chie, and perhaps even Hinata or Hitomi. They would have enough to talk about. However, Naruto was not looking forward to the burial tomorrow.

* * *

After her conversation with Naruto, Hinata had spent a lot of time thinking- about her clan, her position within it, and about herself. What did she want to do? Up until now she had struggled to gain her father's, and her clan's, acceptance. She wanted to prove that she was not a failure, but she was turned down at every opportunity.

But suddenly, her life got turned upside down. The killings which had shocked her clan were committed by Naruto, and now even her father had said he would not blame Naruto, and stated that those who had been killed were traitors to the clan. Naruto had been the one who killed those who wanted to assassinate her, and now Naruto had revealed why…

The idea that people expected so much from her terrified her. To be sure, she resented the way many of the main house (mis)treated the branch. But even though she would not do such a thing herself, it had been 'normal' to see it done by others. After all, this was the environment in which she had grown up.

Too occupied with the idea of needing to change to fit in the clan, she now heard that she was the one who should change the clan to fit _her_.

If anyone other than Naruto had said that to her, she would have thought it was just some kind of sick joke, but it was not. While telling her mother what she had learned, Hinata could see her story confirmed merely by looking at her mother's face. Though usually carefully controlled, Hitomi's expression had ranged from sadness and guilt to irritation and determination.

"I… I must apologize," Hitomi started, after Hinata had finished talking. She sighed. "I should have told you sooner. Well, not about the things Naruto-kun has done for you, as even I had only suspicions and did not know for sure. But I should have told you about the dangers within our clan."

Hitomi sighed. "There are… groups within our clan, who only strive to keep things as they are. They are clinging onto the idea of conservatism, and fear anything that might endanger their position," Hitomi shook her head in distaste. "They refuse to see how wrong the current system is, where our follow clan members are exploited merely because they were born in the branch family rather than the main family."

"But mother… if you think it is wrong, why didn't you…"

"Such strong traditions are difficult to change," Hitomi grimaced a little. "Every step forward created more resistance. And when I found out they had begun to target you, I was forced to hide my efforts. My cousin Haruki made a lot of progress, for instance by uncovering much of our clan's history, but I had but few people who supported me. Even your father is not willing to see the truth."

"Naruto-kun said the Hyuga clan was blinded," Hinata frowned.

"He is right… even your father is too accustomed to the current situation to see how much suffering the clan's laws cause. But even if he had another opinion, he would still be reined in by the elder council of our clan. And those five old goats would never allow any change to happen that would endanger their own wealth and power."

"But they always say that the clan is the most important."

"Yes, they do," Hitomi smiled. "But their actions do not align with their words. I suppose I will now start to teach you on the more advanced topics."

Hinata's eyes widened. She knew very well her mother was no master when it came to the juken-fighting style, but her skill with the byakugan was unsurpassed within their clan.

"I should have done this earlier," Hitomi continued with an apologetic tone. "But, this knowledge you now have gained, and all the things I will need to teach you… they will only increase the danger I put you in. I wanted you be free from worries, and give you the carefree childhood that any mother wants to give her child. But my desire to shield you may have only created more danger for you. I wanted to protect you, even though I knew."

"It's all right, mother," Hinata said, a bit startled by the doubt her mother now showed. Hitomi had always been a bastion of self-assurance, to which the young girl had been able to cling as she doubted herself. To Hinata, it seemed as if all the fixed values in her world had suddenly shifted.

She longed for another mission outside Konoha. Just her, Kiba, Akamaru, Kurenai-sensei, and most importantly, Naruto. Perhaps she'd even manage to eat at Ichiraku's with him again. She still felt shaky whenever she thought back at the last time. It had almost been like a date.

But first, she had to figure out what her mother wanted to teach her.

* * *

With all the casualties from the invasion, the cemetery had become a busy place. Many families and friends mourned the loss of a loved one, and most of the time at least one burial was taking place. Naruto was thankful that the Hyuga possessed their own private section on the cemetery. Actually, Naruto wanted to be alone, yet he knew he could not be alone right now. He was glad amongst friends, though. Besides him, Ako, Chie, and two other branch members were present. Both of them were related to Haruki, and Naruto recognized one of them as the woman he often had helped taking care of the gardens. On behalf of the main family, Hitomi and Hinata had come.

For the first time, Naruto saw the grave of Hyuga Minako, as Haruki would be buried next to his beloved. It still saddened Naruto that he had never asked more about Haruki's personal life. But Naruto had been too occupied with his own troubles.. Let alone knowing how to talk about emotions. He silently thanked Haruki for all his hard work, because he believed that without the efforts of his guardian, he would have been a vastly different person. Impatient, naïve, and most likely even rude and ignorant.

Naruto barely noticed that all the others had passed Haruki's chest and photo, and were looking at Naruto to say his goodbye. Walking had never been so difficult. His throat felt too dry, and his eyes itched from the tears that wanted to break out. But he would not cry. For Haruki, he would show his restraint. For years, this man had taken care of him. For years, this man had guided and taught him. And now was the last time… the last farewell.

* * *

"Are you alright, two-leg?" Chie quietly sat down next to Naruto. He had gone to the forest of death again, to have some time alone. But after he had been gone a few hours, Chie had become worried.

"I'm fine," Naruto sighed. "Well, I should be. Haruki… he knew he would die. He did not want me to be sad about it."

"That's not true," Chie corrected him softly. "He would never forbid you to have emotions. He would be happy that you cared so much about him, and still do."

"Perhaps," Naruto said, wiping away a tear. "Maybe this pain is a consequence of losing those you love."

"Endure it. Cherish the memories you had with him!"

"I know," Naruto sighed. "I know feeling nothing at all is even worse. Thanks, Chie."

"You're welcome," Chie purred as the pushed her head against his arm, begging to be petted.

After a while, Naruto seemed to become a bit livelier. "I must ask you something, Chie."

"Yes?"

"Whenever I'm not around… can you promise me to look after Hinata?"

Chie looked up, curious that he asked. Naruto never asked for help- ever. He always tried to do things alone. What could be enough for him to ask for help? "Is she in that much danger?"

Naruto simply nodded. "I'll let you read Haruki's last letter, when we get back."

Chie did not like being pinned down by some random promise. She did have bad experiences with contracts, after all; but she felt like she had no choice in this matter. Her failure to beat the grey-hair-two-leg had led to Haruki's demise. So in a sense, it now was her responsibility to look after the person he had sacrificed himself for. And she had learned to take her responsibilities seriously, in the past.

"I promise," Chie nodded.

"Thanks Chie…" Naruto sighed, relieved as he knew he would likely have to leave Konoha soon.

"By the way. You're aware that the masked-two-leg is near, right?"

* * *

**A/N**; Well... that was by far the most difficult chapter to write so far- and rather long too, as the word count passed 11k. It certainly beats any previous chapter I've written by quite a margin. But I wanted to create the setting for the next arc, while also finishing the current one, so there were a lot of story-lines that I had to fit into this chapter. So, I hope I did not mess up. Not too much at least. But in my planning, this chapter marks the end of the chunin exam arc.

Central to last chapter was Naruto's choice for 'good', rather than giving in to his negative emotions. In terms of symbolism: he has to endure the shadows if he turns to the light, or else he would have to remain in the nothingness of night. Well, not that it is that simple, to just make a choice and be done with it. But every journey starts with a first step.

I'd say that the central issue of _this_ chapter was the Hyuga history, and that Hinata became aware of her own position within the clan. Shy and introverted, Hinata always questioned herself rather than her surroundings. Thus I had Naruto, even though he had to deal with his own losses, break that 'illusion'- so he could give her a push in the right direction. Just like how she kept him on the right path. In addition, imagine how horrified the Hyuga must have been. They are a clan of people who see virtually everything, yet murders happened among their ranks which even they failed to see.

As I had announced before, and despite all the serious affairs going on right now, I will be taking a little break from the main storyline and focus on the backstory of Chie. So, I hope you will not be disappointed when you see how the next chapters will turn out to deviate from the last few! Don't worry though, they still take place in the same 'alternate universe' as the main storyline.

Thanks again to **Illuminated** for checking my work. And to all of you who leave reviews too! It amazed me that my own story suddenly has better stats than several of the ones I am following myself! My story has more than 500 followers! Who knows, perhaps I should just aim to make this story the most popular story on this site ^^

'till next time,

-Z-


	35. Chie chronicles pt1

**The Chie chronicles **

**Part one: Suzume**

* * *

Life was boring.

Very boring.

As the smallest of a nest of five, the young cat was regarded the weakest of their group- and her lack of talent when using chakra made her inferior to most. Yet, she had a curiosity that could never be satisfied- that's how she earned her name. Too small and frail to fight, Chie had focused on knowledge. She couldn't beat her stronger brothers and sisters, but at least she could out-smart them!

Though Chie had little doubt that her name, which meant 'wisdom', was also a subtle insult from the elders of her clan.

The elders of her clan were always dismissive of her curiosity about the outer world. The tribe of the Bakeneko was secluded, and did not like to deal with humans too often. Humans, they told their kittens, were violent and rude. As such, the elders left it up to their adult clan members to decide whether they wanted to have their own summoning contracts or not. But any form of clan-wide summoning contract was forbidden.

Besides, the elders knew the truth: the Bakeneko may be fierce and deathly, but their abilities lagged far behind in comparison to other tribes. They did not have the history or knowledge of the greatest of the three tribes- the Snakes, the Slugs, and the Toads- nor the power of the four guardians of legend, whose abilities were mostly shrouded in mysteries.

No, for a young and impatient kitten such as Chie, this place equalled boredom.

What was '"this place"? It was a remote island, where the Bakeneko lived surrounded by sea and isolated from anything human. The island was nothing particularly interesting, and mainly consisted of one large mountain, in the centre of the island, surrounded by forest. Spread across the island lived the Bakeneko, most of them individually, some with their young in small groups.

It was not that the Bakeneko clan lacked organization. On the contrary; their elders, six of the oldest cats, lived on the northern slopes of the mountain, in the temple where their clan's laws were written. Not that the Bakeneko had strict laws governing them. They were rather carefree- not very interested in the outside world. They were barely even interested in each other.

Apart from when they felt the urge to find a mate, of course...

However, with their long lifespans, Bakeneko never had many kittens on their island. The fact that Chie's nest, despite already being ten years old, was the last nest on the island apart from two cats that were now in their fifties, said enough. Their long lifespans were especially visible when looking at the oldest of the six elders. Haruo was many centuries old, and the one who was responsible for having the entire clan moved to this island.

This was because Haruo despised humans, and anything that had to do with humans. Which was rather ironic, considering the clan's most useful skill. Not that any humans dared to set foot on the island of the Bakeneko clan. The few who had survived doing that had scared all others enough so that no one really tried again. Apparently, being used as a scratching pole did not appeal to the humans- not with regular cat, and especially not when it involved five-foot-long cats.

* * *

"What is it this time," the older cat sighed when he saw Chie approaching.

Tomio was an older cat living near Chie's family. Her grandfather always told her to stay away from the red-furred cat, but Chie never really listened to him. Tomio's stories were far too interesting. "I'm bored, Tomio…" Chie complained.

"Tsk. You're far too curious for a normal kitten."

"You always tell me that, yet you never refuse to tell me a new story," Chie smirked. It would be hard for humans to recognize that Chie could smirk, or smile, or frown. But among the Bakeneko, they could easily see each other's expressions, mainly due to their whiskers.

Pondering that, Chie got an idea. "Tomio, is it true that humans have no whiskers?"

"Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, Yasu and I were talking, and she did not know what humans would look like."

"Of course you two would not know that," Tomio sighed. Yasu was Chie's less impulsive sister, so neither of them was old enough to know _anything_ about the outside world. They would have to wait for another century before Haruo would even bother to think about allowing them to get off the island.

"But... is it true?"

"Yes, Chie, humans do not have whiskers."

"But how do they communicate? I mean, that must be impossible for them!" Chie managed to say while giggling at the absurd idea.

"Humans look differently, so they cannot be judged by our standards," Tomio explained patiently.

"Then... what do they look like?" Chie finally asked the question for which she had come to Tomio. The other day, Katsuro, her grandfather, had slipped up and said that Tomio had once held a contract. So, she knew Tomio could answer her. And by the look of her whiskers, Tomio also knew there was no way out of this.

Only once had he tried to refuse to answer her. But for such a curious little creature, she turned out to be surprisingly persistent. On the fifth consecutive day of nagging, he had finally given in. Looking down on the black and white kitten, he sighed, knowingly she would not give up this time either.

"Humans… humans are strange creatures, completely different from us," Tomio started. "They somehow manage to walk on only two legs, and they can even do that without a tail."

"They have no tail?" Chie gasped. "But how? They are really able to move like that?"

"Yes, Chie, they are," Tomio chuckled. "A little slow, and not very agile, but they manage just fine. No, what is even stranger is that they hardly have any fur. Only on the tops of their head, the humans have some hair. Some even have very long fur there. Others, those without the strange bumps on their chests, even have some fur on the lower end of their heads."

"There are different kinds of humans?"

"There are," Tomio nodded sagely. "Just like we have males and females, so do the humans."

"Two legs, mostly nude, strange bumps," Chie summarized. "But, you said they were completely different. Surely there must be more differences."

"Well, apart from their strange looks, they also behave quite differently from us. Humans are very social, usually, and often live in large herds. Well, we might call it a herd of humans, but they call it villages or cities."

"Cities?"

"A city is a place where many humans live, Chie. Every human lives in their own house, well, every family. Parents live together, and it seems like humans consider it indecent when they mate with various others."

"They do? But… how do they reproduce?"

"Humans choose their bond-mate, and they live their entire lives together. Though, there are humans who try to breed with other humans aside from their mate, but like I just said: humans seem to think that this sort of behavior is indecent."

"Strange. Don't humans ever grow tired of each other? Don't they wish for some solitude?"

"They do, actually… but human behaviour is full of paradoxes. For one: they talk about desiring peace, but that desire always brings them to war. Humans are rather odd, and they often attack others when thinking they protect what is theirs. Everything that seems to be at odds with their way of living is usually considered as something hostile."

"But... doesn't our clan also think like that? I heard Haruo doesn't like you because you think differently from him."

"True," Tomio chuckled. "But the difference is that I'm not treated like an outcast, and I even might have been part of the elders if Haruo thought differently about me. Lady Nibi knows I'm old enough for it."

"Do the humans also worship Lady Nibi?" Chie asked curiously. Lady Nibi was the figure their clan worshipped, their goddess, so to speak. Her grandfather often told Chie stories about how they lived on this island because Lady Nibi– her true name was only known by the elders of their clan– had brought them here. It was even said that Haruo was her first follower, and that his power and wisdom exceeded their own because of the gifts that Lady Nibi had bestowed on him.

Tomio knew that from a human perspective, Haruo wasn't just the 'worldly' leader of their clan, but also their spiritual leader. Sadly, Tomio had also come to think that their patriarch had gotten more and more convinced of his own greatness. Over the centuries, their old leader had become more intolerant and strict, allowing but few of their clan to leave their island.

It is also why Katsuro, in all his wisdom, tried to limit Chie's seemingly boundless curiosity as much as possible- a practice that Tomio thought to be unhealthy. '_We cannot refuse to allow our kittens to grow. But if our young are held back because the old don't dare to tread any further... perhaps I should just try to teach Chie the truth about the world; perhaps she can change our world.'_

"The humans do not worship Lady Nibi, as they have different gods from ours."

"There are multiple?" Chie nearly fell over. Ever since she was born, they were told about Lady Nibi, who was interwoven with their clan's history. How could humans be so different from the Bakeneko?

For most of the day, Tomio told Chie about the things he had seen in the human world. How he had made a contract, nearly two centuries ago, with a strong woman who wished to protect her herd. He told of how he had fought alongside her; how the humans had both a terribly dark side to their nature, but also were capable of good. Humans could be the monsters that Chie's elders told her they were, but could also be better than any Bakeneko. Still, Tomio had convinced her that the human world was a dangerous place.

How else would such an esteemed Bakeneko get such a scar on his back...

* * *

"Where did you go this time?" Katsuro grunted, lifting his head as he had just woken from his slumber.

"Just walking around, gramps," Chie responded defensively.

"Tomio again?"

"What do you care, grandpa? You never bother the others when they are away!"

"They don't have that… defect you have," Katsuro grumbled dismissively.

"Ugh, quit your nagging already!"

"SHOW SOME RESPECT," Katsuro lashed out, startling Chie. While Chie was still young, and smaller than a regular house cat, Katsuro had lived for several centuries, and had reached the full adult length of five feet long ago- not to mention that his tail had split completely. This was quite an honor for a Bakeneko, considering that only a very few achieved this. Perhaps only ten of the cats living on the island had fully split tails. Even Tomio, Katsuro's senior, had not achieved the twin tails status.

"Earn it," Chie countered, as she jumped off in the woods again.

* * *

"You really should be a little more careful," a voice sounded from behind Chie.

"What?" Chie grunted, annoyed that her sister Yasu had sneaked up on her again.

"Gramps is quite pissed," Yasu chuckled. "You know very well it's dangerous to piss off old grey-fur."

Chie chuckled weakly as she heard her sister talk about their grandfather, whose grey fur really befitted his stern attitude. "Who cares, I already know our brothers are his favorites, and I am by far the least favourite."

"Chie... don't be so hard on yourself..."

"I know sis. But it's just... it frustrates me so much," Chie admitted. "Everyone expects me to be something I'm not. Everyone demands some kind of behavior of me that stands at odds with who I want to be. I'm just tired of not being accepted. You and Tomio are the only two who even willingly talk to me. And look at how that ends up for you, gramps ends up scolding you whenever he thinks that I did something wrong. They never want me to be curious. They don't want me at all."

Yasu lied down next to her smaller sister, and pushed her head against Chie's. "I know you want out of here. But please don't. It's dangerous. I don't want to lose my little sister, no matter how crazy she is. That's what makes you unique, you know," she smiled.

Chie sighed.

'_Thanks Yasu. But even you don't understand what it is to be seen as something inferior. You're just like mom, strong and independent, yet still caring and friendly to others. While I am all alone. Chie, the nosy little outcast of the Bakeneko clan_', she thought bitterly.

'_Why do we even live on this stupid island? Why can't I escape this stupid place?_'

* * *

Three days later, Chie again searched for Tomio, with new questions, of course. However, Tomio was not at his house. Thus, things became a challenge for Chie. She wasn't as playful as her rather ignorant and carefree family, but she enjoyed making a game out of these kinds of things.

Pretty soon, imaginary humans hunted the little cat, as she spurted through the forest in search of her 'teacher'. These imaginary humans didn't look anywhere near actual humans, but were rather a bunch of demonic creatures, towering over her as they were as large as the trees surrounding her. In her little fantasy world, they howled out with mindless and foul voices, as they wished to eat the tiny cat.

Chie would not allow them to 'catch' her- she might not be as strong as her brothers and sisters, but she was every bit as elusive and nimble.

* * *

Crashing down from the trees – though still landing on her four paws – Chie finally found the cat whose scent she had been tracking. Tomio was sitting at the beach, with a somewhat sad expression on his wise red-furred face.

"Tomio!" Chie exclaimed, failing to see his sadness in her own enthusiasm. After all, she _was_ rather proud of outrunning her (imaginary) human pursuers- a big feat, to her young mind, considering how much longer their (imaginary) legs were compared to her own. Though, this was logical, now that she knew the humans only clumsily toddled around on two legs, without even having a tail.

Tomio sighed and looked behind him. The much larger cat had heard something crash through the forest, but had not expected to meet the young kitten here. "Why are you so far from you home, Chie?"

"Who cares how far it is, can't get out of here anyway, right?" Chie said, as her whiskers made a gesture equivalent to the human 'shrug'.

"But why?"

"I had a question!"

Tomio looked at the blatant curiosity in her eyes. "Again?"

"Gramps lectured us on the three great races, the toads, the snakes, and the slugs," Chie rattled, not paying attention to Tomio's exhausted sigh. "But he did not want to tell us about the four guardians!"

"Because there is not much known about them, Chie," Tomio said as he stretched himself. The little kitten couldn't even let him get some rest...

"So you do know _something_?"

"What do you know about the Bakeneko tribe, Chie?"

"Eh? Our tribe learned to manipulate chakra from the teachings of Lady Nibi. We grow very old, and our adults have split tails to indicate that they are the most powerful as well."

"Yes, and?"

"Well, they say we only get access to our full powers when our tails are split."

"And you know about the exception?"

"The summoning contract? Well, you once said we Bakeneko could increase our individual chakra reserves by cooperating with humans who signed contracts with us?"

"Exactly- but that is just the extent of our power. Compared to the other tribes, that isn't something special at all," Tomio explained. "What does make us different is our ability to change our appearances. If an adult Bakeneko so wishes, he or she can change into a humanoid form. How did you think we created our buildings, Chie? Or wrote our books?"

Chie's whiskers revealed her surprise.

"But our ability to transform- even though it is unique, even compared to the human 'henge no jutsu'- is still not enough to make our tribe stand out. Chie, you know why the three are elevated above all other summon tribes?"

"Humans can transform too?"

"Yes, but their skill is different from ours. Our transformation is no illusion, but something far more real. But that was not my question," Tomio remarked.

Chie sighed, and paused for a moment to think. "Gramps once said something about those tribes holding secrets, and something vague about 'sjutensu' or something."

"Senjutsu," Tomio corrected her, "otherwise known as the only method to absorb the energy from the nature surrounding us: the sage mode. Because of that, those three tribes hold power far greater than others. I know, we have our ability to shape shift, something giving us the advantage in some cases. But the power of those three tribes is far greater than the few tricks we, or most of the other clans, have. The only exceptions are formed by four beings that have become legends in their own right, not even needing something as potent as senjutsu to prove their power."

"So who are those four? Haruo? Lady Nibi?"

"No. No, Lady Nibi is something different- perhaps even stronger, if the rumors are correct," Tomio replied, as he wandered off with his thoughts, reliving memories back from the time he still had a summoning contract. Only once… only once had he seen something that massive, with chakra that seemed to be limitless. And Lady Nibi was supposed to be of the same kind as that massive five-tailed horse-like being.

"What rumors?" Chie asked curiously, and too impatient to wait until Tomio continued by himself. "Tell me!" she hopped around the much older and larger cat.

"I cannot. But I will tell you about the four guardians. They are known as such, because they each hold power given to them in the times when even Lady Nibi was said to be young. Those four never grew old, though their bodies changed over time- almost as much as their abilities. You must understand, Chie, that those four hail from different times, when the world was said to be vastly different from the current one. Imagine, they were times when Lady Nibi and her kin could walk freely across the world.." Tomio sighed. "It was also the time when the humans rose up; and in their youngest days, the four guarded and guided them."

"Wow! They must be really old," Chie said, her eyes spurred wide open. "They must be even more ancient than Haruo himself."

"Never let him hear you call him ancient," Tomio chuckled. "But yes, they are older then perhaps even we can imagine. Let's see. If I recall correctly, each of the four hails from a different species, one being a turtle, another a tiger, then a bird, and lastly there is a dragon."

"A dragon?! Do they really exist? Like in the stories?"

Tomio laughed gently, touched by the childlike innocence of the kitten. "No, this is no dragon unlike any you have heard of in your books. This dragon is actually the only one of the four of which even a little is known, as he is the only of the four who I heard of has made a contract with a human."

"A dragon and a human?" Chie exclaimed in disbelief.

"Those two have become legends amongst the humans, as far as I understood from those among us who have wandered the human world in more recent times."

"Were they that strong?"

"Apparently, the human was already exceptional, and the dragon had given him the control over his element as a gift. Wood," Tomio added, knowing what Chie wanted to ask. "Far less is known about the others, though our oldest books say that the turtle holds power of water, and the bird has control over fire. The tiger is mostly shrouded in mystery, but it is presumed that it holds control over metal.. Or was is ice.. I actually don't remember," Tomio frowned. (Well, his whiskers did.) "Anyway, the turtle is rumored to be located somewhere north of us... not that anyone knows precisely where it is."

"Why are they so secretive?" Chie wondered. "If they are all so strong, there is no need for them to hide, right?"

"I do not know, Chie. Perhaps they do not like other species, or perhaps they just want to live their lives in peace and quiet. Who knows... I mean, if you could be that old, and know that you would not die either. I can hardly imagine what that must be like."

"Seems rather boring," Chie agreed.

"I suppose. After so much time, it would likely be difficult to learn something new," Tomio nodded. "But… what are you looking at, Chie?"

"The shores. It's like the sea withdrew while you were talking," Chie wondered.

Tomio's hair stood out when he heard something massive grumble and approach.

They had nowhere to run…

* * *

Kenta was annoyed. Though he was the strongest, he was also the youngest of their group, meaning that he had to listen to his 'senpai'. Kenta was a tall and thin man, not extremely muscular, but rather very sinewy. With his hollow eyes, and rough, medium-length hair, he had quickly gained the nickname "Yokai," the black apparition of the hidden mist. This was mostly because Kenta had excellent sensory abilities, which he combined with stealth. The vast majority of his victims never even heard him coming, before Kenta's blade ended their lives. If it had been wartime, someone with Kenta's abilities would have surely have become part of the legendary seven swordsmen. At least, that was what Kenta believed.

The Mizukage had certainly made a grave mistake by letting that young Zabuza take the only remaining sword. With the civil war, many of the seven had defected, and some of the blades had even disappeared entirely… but Kenta would make his own legend, sword or not. The black apparition of the mist would become feared outside their country as well.

Though he had to first follow orders and go on another tedious purge mission. After all, during the temporary truce, the shinobi had to do something useful, and hunting down those abominable bloodlines always kept them busy. Perhaps now, after two years of not being hunted because the hunters were too busy fighting in the civil war, those monstrosities would be more careless...then a good sensor like Kenta would surely find _someone_.

* * *

Her body hurt…and why was her fur all wet? Chie groaned as she tried to get up, but found that she couldn't. "Too tired..." she sighed. "Where am I, anyway?"

Only now, Chie noticed she was lying on sand. On a beach, she saw as she turned towards the sound of waves. But how? Her headache was inhibiting her ability to think properly.

'_Let's see.. What is the last thing that I remember..'_ Chie mused. She had been tracking, and she had found Tomio. He had taught her new things, and then something happened. Chie's eyes widened in shock as it came back to her.

* * *

"_What are you looking at, Chie?" Tomio asked_

"_The shores.. It's like the sea withdrew while you were talking," Chie wondered._

_Tomio's hair stood out when he heard something massive grumble and approach._

"_Get to the forest, NOW," Tomio suddenly shouted._

_As both cats ran for their lives, Tomio knew they would never outrun the wall of water that was approaching. But what could he do against it?_

_The two had barely reached the first trees as the water crashed ashore. In a split-second decision, Tomio, pushed the tiny Chie behind him, as he created a barrier of chakra._

* * *

Tears started flowing down Chie's cheeks... "Tomio," she shivered. "Why... why did you do that?"

* * *

'_I'm running out of chakra...' Tomio realized. The water didn't stop coming. Chie, completely terrified, lay curled under him, seeking protection. 'I could abandon her, and grab a tree in the hopes that I wash ashore.. But how could I do that?'_

_No. Tomio realized his responsibility. The elders denied their kittens the right to develop freely, as they valued their own positions too much to ever risk a change in the way they lived. But the future belongs to the young...the elderly, like Tomio, had one true obligation: to protect the new generation._

* * *

Chie felt lost. It had been over an hour since she had regained consciousness... but she did not have the will to move. Tomio had sacrificed his life so that she could escape. She couldn't fathom why... but he had expended all his remaining chakra to get her to a log… After that, she only remembered flashes, of how she had to cling onto that log; then storm- thunder- darkness.

All was wet. She felt as if even her bones were soaked, even the bruises she had collected. But none of it mattered.

She was alone now. This island was clearly not the one she grew up on.. Bakeneko island had no shores like this. Not with this view..

But even if she were home… Tomio was the only one who did not treat her like a burden. Even Yasu, while caring for her, only saw her as a loved, but troublesome, little sister.

On one hand, she realized that this was her chance to explore the world. But, after knowing that she had lost her only real friend…

* * *

Chie woke up again later, with the sun indicating it was past noon already. She groaned as she felt something poking her.

"Quit it, Yasu," Chie grumbled, not fully realizing where she was.

The poking stopped. Good. Her body hurt too much to have someone poking her. '_Wait.. pain?_', Chie wondered for a second, before all the grief caught up with her again. Saddened, she curled up.

She heard someone gasp for breath, and the poking started again.

"Staddup, sweep head," the thing babbled.

'_Wait.. I was on a different island.. That's not Yasu!' _Chie realized, as she observed who was bothering her.

A tiny two-legged creature with a wide grin stood next to her. It was covered in some kind of blue-ish piece of cloth. And strange enough, it had no fur, other than some pink – nearly red – fur on the top of its head.

"What.. what are you?" Chie wondered.

"Zoozoo," the pinkish-two-leg exclaimed. "Zoozoo found you," it pointed proudly at its chest.

"You're.. no, you are far too little to be a human.. Are you some kind of ape?"

"Pape?" the creature tilted its head, as if its confused expression wasn't clear enough already. "Wadda pape?"

Whatever it tried to say, Chie was completely confused. Apes shouldn't be talking, right? Unless it was another tribe of summons, like her Bakeneko clan.

"I am Chie," she finally decided to show some proper manners. After all, if it wasn't human, Chie should at least show some respect. "What clan do you belong to, pinky?"

"Amshi?" it wondered. "Hi amshi! Me Zoozoo," it laughed. "Mommy!" it charged off.

Chie was puzzled. What was an amshi? Or was the creature dumb enough to mishear her? In that case, could 'Zoozoo' be its name?

"That pinkish two-leg makes no sense at all. Is it of some tribe of intoxicated dwarves?" Chie wondered. Fairy tales always had dwarves in them, and it was common knowledge that those dwarves only drank the forbidden drink. "Yes... it must be... that would explain why it talks like that!"

Chie knew, as she had seen some of the older cats of her tribe talk like that too, when it was the season for the drink. That was also why her grandfather had told her that this would be a 'forbidden drink' for her, until she was at least be a century old..

Torn, as she was both curious to see where the dwarf had gone, and hesitant to leave the beach, Chie looked back at the ocean once more.

But she knew... no matter how much she wished it, Tomio would not return- and he would scold her if she gave up now. So Chie stood up, her body still hurting but not as badly as earlier, and walked in the direction at which the dwarf had gone. Although when she reached the edge, she looked back once more. '_I am sorry Tomio... I will never forget you,_' Chie said to herself. '_Goodbye.'_

* * *

Scared, Shiori paced through the thin line of trees that was between their house and the beach. Her child had run off again. "I swear, I should almost tie that girl to a chair," she fumed to no one in particular.

A crack, a voice, and Shiori felt like she could breathe again.

"Mommy!" the little girl charged at Shiori, completely oblivious of her concern.

Shiori sighed as the girl hopped around her, in an attempt to tell her something about a 'plushy', but she didn't have the time for this.

"Suzume," she kept her voice strict, though the abrupt change from the cheering girl into a slightly shocked look amused her that much that she could hardly keep her face serious. But she had to. "Suzume, what did I tell you? Didn't I tell you to stay indoors?"

"Yes mommy," Suzume nodded her head, obviously ashamed, even though Shiori doubted that the child fully understood what she did wrong. After all, it had been hardly a month since Suzume had celebrated her second birthday.

Then, more sounds came from the shrubbery next to them, as a black cat, covered with white spots, appeared. "So you found a cat?" Shiori asked Suzume.

"She Ashie!" her daughter smiled broadly.

"Tsk... I told you it was Chie, not Ashie or Anshi," a voice sounded. "It's a bit unexpected to find such a large dwarf too.. But the books said dwarves always lived in packs or herds."

Startled, Shiori looked around. But there was no one here. "Who is that," she questioned, as she pulled her daughter close to her.

"Errm... down here, two-leg…" the cat spoke up, almost with a sarcastic tone.

Shiori looked down.

The cat looked up, at the taller version of the dwarf. This taller two-legged creature had the same strange hair colour, only much brighter and redder. And the same strange lack of fur. Now that Chie looked better, she also noticed neither of the two-legged creatures had tails.

"What?!" Shiori screeched.

Chie tilted her head. "Please don't scream like that, loud-two-leg... my head hurts..."

"You.. you.. you talk? What are you?"

"Yes, I can talk," Chie sighed. "What, is this the first time that you are seeing a cat?"

"N-No..." Shiori stumbled. "But they are supposed to be… well... you know..."

"Tsk... Hey, pinkish-two-leg, is this red-two-leg your two-leg?" Chie shifted her focus from the flabbergasted woman to the smiling child.

"Mommy!" Suzume pointed to the taller woman, as if that explained everything. Chie looked, and noticed that the taller woman had the same kind of face and eyes as the shorter one.

"You're her kitten?" Chie wondered. "What kind of thing are you?"

"Err… We are humans... what else?" Shiori frowned.

"Humans? That's impossible!" Chie exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Humans are much taller, and savage!"

Shiori lowered her head, and looked sad. "I can't deny that. Many of us are savages..." she paused and sighed. "But not every human is like that. Now, can you tell me who you are? Or even better: what you are."

"As I told pinkish-two-leg, my name is Chie. I am granddaughter of Katsuro, and member of the Bakeneko clan."

"Clan? Are you a shinobi?" Shiori asked as she pulled Suzume, who tried to get to the cat, back.

"I am a Bakeneko, not a shibio or whatever," Chie scoffed. "Don't you humans know anything?"

* * *

Tired, but content, Mitsuo returned to his home. The brown haired, rather plain-looking man was in his mid-twenties. He had just spent the entire day in the field, ploughing and sowing the seeds for the next harvest. It was exhausting work, but rewarding enough. Not that he and Shiori owned much, but they had enough to support their little family. As long as they had enough to feed Suzume, and themselves, Mitsuo would be happy.

After all, wealth would only draw attention. In this accursed region, attention was the last thing they would want to have. After all, these islands were too close to the influence of Kirigakure. Anyone carrying a bloodline limit in this region had to be careful. The hunters were always watching.

Mitsuo sighed. Luckily, their little island only had two little villages, one with a harbour, and lived off agriculture and fishing. The people here weren't exactly rich, but they had enough to be content. In addition, the land was rich enough to afford the 'protection' fees of Kirigakure, which amounted to protection from Kirigakure, most of the time. Their shinobi were arguably worse than any regular band of bandits.

But, it had already been more than two years since the last time anyone on their island was attacked. Still, Mitsuo knew that he shouldn't be fooled by a false sense of peace. Especially now that Suzume would grow up. Perhaps, in a few years, she would show the first serious signs of possessing the same ability that he possessed. It would be a disaster if anyone saw that. All these things brought a slight frown to Mitsuo's face, apart from him being tired from the long day working.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called out upon opening the door. He smiled as he heard a shout, and the quickly approaching little footsteps, as he saw his daughter charge at him.

"Daddy!"

* * *

Chie frowned in her Bakeneko fashion. So, on one end there were two-legs with strange bumps on their chest, while the other did not. So far, she understood it, as Tomio had told her that. The chibi was more confusing.

Kittens were supposed to be similar to their parents, but smaller. Why did this 'child', because that is what big-red-two-leg had called her kitten, seem so different from the adult species?

Not even mentioning the appearance, the behavior of the chibi was even stranger to Chie. '_The little-two-leg is completely helpless, and ignorant of everything, even when its curiosity is even worse than my own,_' Chie considered. '_At least the bigger two-legs seem to be aware of it. Yet, they say it is normal.. Humans are truly odd.. Perhaps this is why they live in herds? Though this herd only seems to consist of three two-legs. Well, and me now. Strange, why did the flat-chested-two-leg accept me so easily? And the big-crimson-two-leg truly seemed to be concerned about my condition? I thought humans were monsters.'_

Needless to say: Chie was completely confused. Her elders had always told how despicable humans were. Yet these three, so far, proved the complete opposite of it. Humans were strange, and with nowhere to go, Chie decided that staying with them would just prove to be a good opportunity to study them.

"Zoozoo sweepy," the child yawned, walking up to Chie. Before the cat realized what the child was doing, Suzume lay down and cuddled up to Chie.

Chie looked at the child, somewhat bewildered by its behaviour. "Sleep tight, chibi-two-leg," Chie whispered gently, folding her long tail around the child to keep her warm.

* * *

Kenta had sensed something. It was faint, but that was to be expected. After all, those abominations with their bloodlines had been able to survive the earlier purges, so they ability to mask their chakra was expected to be good.

Still… something was wrong about the chakra Kenta felt. He couldn't explain it, thus annoying his captain, but somehow there was something inhuman about the trace he felt. It was more inhuman than any other bloodline freak he had met before this moment. Although Kenta had urged caution, the group went out to see what they had found.

To their collective surprise, they found a single man sitting near a campfire. At least, if you could call it a man. His pale skin and yellow eyes made him look creepy. Almost like a snake. And this close, Kenta could feel what was wrong about the man. '_He is not just hiding his chakra, he is also suppressing it- to a much larger degree than I've ever felt before,_' Kenta realized.

Looking up into Kenta's eyes, the man chuckled. "Now what do we have here…"

"Senpai," Kenta whispered, turning to his captain. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"I suppose you already know it is too late to run," the man in front of them hissed. He looked curiously at Kenta's expression. "Interesting… so you would use them as a diversion?"

Kenta grimaced. How could this guy see through him like this? Who and what was this guy? Anxious, Kenta tried to step back. If his idiotic team wanted to fight, then they could throw away their lives. Kenta refused to go down with them.

But Kenta couldn't move. "What? What's going on?"

The pale, snakelike man stood up and walked towards them. "It's been a while since someone managed to track me down like this."

"Should I kill them?" a voice sounded up from behind Kenta. '_Shit. Shit! Shit! I focussed too much on that freak and missed the other guy? Damn it all!_' Kenta mentally cursed.

"No... Not the black-hair, Kazu. He intrigues me. The others are disposable. Get rid of them."

"As you wish," the voice answered coldly. Frozen at his position, Kenta could not even turn his head, but from the corners of his eyes he saw black objects pierce his companions, while his captain was strangled by a similar black thing.

"Another bloodline freak?" Kenta grumbled softly.

"He is a Nara," the snakelike man replied casually. "So yes, I suppose that fits your less charming description. But tell me: who are you?"

"Depends, what do you want from me?" Kenta countered, as he quickly realized he made a mistake, feeling something slide over his body, grabbing and almost crushing his arms.

"Now now, no need to be too rude Kazu," the snakelike man said suavely. "I am not the kind of person who likes to throw away people who have a lot of promise. You are the first one in several years who managed to track me down when I didn't want to be found, so I would like to see if you are worthy enough to be recruited."

"Recruited?" Kenta frowned. "Why would I risk getting hunted by Kiri?"

"I offer power in return," the man smirked. "There are many jutsus that I can share with you, so that you can grow beyond what you are now." Orochimaru knew that the man had caught the bait, the moment Kenta's eyes spurred open, and the Sannin suppressed his smirk. After all, it had not been hard to see that this man had a strong desire for more power. And greed was so easy to use…

"Hmm. It's not like I have any choice, and I'm not going to throw away my life for that shitty village," Kenta decided. "My name is Kenta, also known as the Yokai, the black haired ghost of the hidden mist. I may not be the strongest of Kirigakure, but there is no better tracker in my village. Former village."

Orochimaru's smile widened. Skilled, proud, _and_ selfish. This kind of man would be a very suitable servant. Though, Kenta had yet to prove his loyalty to him. "Good. I am Orochimaru, of Konohagakure.. And as I promised, I will give you more power. But before you get your reward, I need you to track down someone. You see, there is a certain someone that I am looking for…"

* * *

In the following weeks, Chie found out how weird humans were. Eating, for instance, was done at set times, and always together with the entire herd. All kinds of strange rituals were also conducted with the food, something which Shiori called 'cooking.' Sometimes food actually tasted better, but most of the times, especially when considering vegetables, Chie was just glad she had her own food. After all, a Bakeneko had different tastes than an ordinary human.

That was another thing Chie found extremely strange: humans always seemed to live together. On her island, Chie was used to everyone pretty much living their own lives. But here.. humans were much closer. Especially when it came to Suzume, of whom Shiori and Mitsuo were extremely protective.

While Shiori was mostly at home, doing all kinds of chores, Mitsuo was away from home for most of the day. This was a ritual that they called 'work,' Chie found. Just like the food ritual, the work ritual was done daily. Strangely, these rituals also happened at some set time. That was another confusing thing for Chie: they had a time-controlling device which Shiori called a clock. Well, Mitsuo called it a 'damned annoyance,' but that was something that he should not say, as Shiori considered it rude. Chie understood the woman's carefulness, as the device seemed to control their daily schedule. Chie could only imagine the horrors that would occur if the device was angered. Especially to her, as her daily milk and food were prepared at the same times the humans had their food.

But while the two older humans were oddly organized, the little one seemed to do everything in its limited power to disrupt that organization. As such, it had become Chie's 'chore' to look after the child.

It was a rather dangerous occupation, considering Suzume's obsession with Chie's long and furry tail: once the child got hold of it, it proved exceedingly difficult to break her grasp. But still... Chie found that the little one needed her protection the most. The child was completely oblivious to everything, and continuously charged on with an enthusiasm that Chie found almost absurd, though equally endearing. The hugs and kisses the child gave weren't too bad.

When it was eating or drinking, Chie knew that it would be better to stay away though. Human kittens were messy eaters, and Chie hated for her fur to get dirty- especially after Shiori introduced her to the torture device the humans called a 'bath.' At that moment, Chie fully understood Tomio's warning, and realized how horrible the humans could be.

Yes, humans were strange to Chie. Even their mating behaviour was strange. They virtually threw the cat out of the room when she 'interrupted' them one day. But as odd as they were in the eyes of the little kitten, Chie could not say they were anywhere near foolish when it concerned their own safety. However, it eluded her why they were so scared of other people, at least until that one night, when Mitsuo sang his daughter a bed-time song.

Listening in, Chie felt the chakra flowing from the man, creating a mild and soothing illusion. Before the cat really knew what happened, she was as fast asleep as Suzume herself.

* * *

**A/N**: Indeed! The first chapter of my little 'spinoff' that focuses on the early years of Chie, a bit about her youth on the secluded Island where the Bakeneko lived, as well as the events that eventually left her stranded in the woods where Naruto eventually found her. I hope you all don't mind, as none of the major characters make an appearance in this little flashback. After all, these events take place roughly twelve years before the main story began. This fact also might give you an idea what caused the tidal wave!

I made the assumption that Orochimaru is still living in Konoha. Considering how Orochimaru was forced to flee from Konoha at some point after Minato's death, I assumed he was still part of Konoha at this point in time.

Regarding this mini-story, I actually planned to make this 'flashback' a bit of a comedy at first. But, in the end I decided to add in some more serious aspects. Aspects that will have its consequences for the 'regular' storyline. As such, some of the new characters will make an appearance in the main story. Well… Maybe not all are new?

Credits: though Chie, the Bakeneko, Kenta, and Mitsuo's little family are my own creations, Nara Kazu needs to be credited to **Scarease**, who is so generous to share ideas on new characters with me. Another of his characters will appear in the next chapter! And of course also a big thank you to my beta **Illuminated**. As well as to those of you who cheer me on, and give me ideas on how to do things better, with your reviews. Opening my mailbox each morning and discovering that another few people left comments, favourite you, or start following you.. It's a mighty fine feeling!

-Z-

**PS**; meanwhile, the manga ended.. I still don't understand why Kishimoto decided to rush things so much. Seriously, there were so many things that deserved to be expanded! What as compressed in two chapters could, and should, have been twenty chapters. Ah well, at least it gave me inspiration for my own little story! After all, I started this fanfic thing due to a combination of love for the story, and criticism on what Kishimoto did with it.


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